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THE JEWS, 


THEIR CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES, 


WITH A FULL ACCOUNT OF ALL 

T t 



FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE; 


ALSO, 


EXPLANATIONS OF THEIR VARIOUS FEASTS AND FASTS, 
WITH EXTRACTS FROM THEIR RITUAL, AND EXPLANA¬ 
TORY ILLUSTRATIONS OF THEIR PUBLIC WORSHIP 
AND DOMESTIC CELEBRATIONS. 


BY THE 


REV. E. M. MYERS. 



NEW YORK: 

R. WORTHINGTON, PUBLISHER, 

750 BROADWAY. 

1879 . 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, by 
E. M. MYERS, 

in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 


John Meoolb & Son, Printers. 73 to 79 Fulton St., N. Y. 


> ) , 

7 >* 





PREFACE. 


During a very interesting conversation with a 
Christian clergyman, he suggested to me the com¬ 
pilation of this work. He pointed out to me, that 
very little was known outside the Jewish community 
of their religious customs or observances; and that 
what was known, was either not at all understood, 
or was frequently misinterpreted. He expressed the 
opinion, that the publication of a book of this char¬ 
acter would not only be highly interesting, but that 
it would be the means of making the Jews better 
understood, and consequently insure for them greater 
esteem and regard from their brethren of other creeds. 
Having pondered over his remarks, and concluded 
that there was much force in them, I decided to write 
such a volume. The object, therefore, of this book, 
is to give a faithful and authentic account of our pub¬ 
lic and private religious, domestic, and ceremonial 
observances, as established in former years, accompa¬ 
nied by characteristic illustrations and explanations 
of them. I shall further refer to the mode of worship 
of past generations and the alterations of the present 
age. and to the difference in the opinions and formulae 



4 


PREFACE. 


which now exists in our midst. I shall likewise select 
some passages from our ritual, to exemplify certain 
principles of Judaism common to all its professors, 
and hope thereby to remove certain erroneous im¬ 
pressions which I know to exist in the minds of many 
who are uninformed on the subject. I do not in this 
work come forward as the exponent or supporter of 
either orthodox or reform Judaism, nor do- I herein 
identify myself with either party. I merely narrate 
customs which have hitherto existed amongst the for¬ 
mer, and elucidate the meaning and intention of them; 
their observance or non-observance is a subject en¬ 
tirely foreign to consideration in this volume. I 
describe them merely as customs , not as dogmas or 
doctrines of faith. There are many amongst my own 
creed, to whom this book will be found instructive 
and useful, and in the hope that it will “ find favor in 
the sight of God and man/’ it is presented to public 
notice by 


The Author. 


INTRODUCTION. 


As in the course of this volume, reference will ne¬ 
cessarily be made to orthodox and reform Jews, it be¬ 
comes necessary for the information of those who are 
unacquainted with the differences between those two 
sections of the community, to explain them. It is not 
my province in these pages, either to praise or con¬ 
demn the changes which have taken place, but simply 
to detail them; and, therefore, if in the course of my 
remarks, I should use any expressions which may be 
so construed, I wish them to be understood, as being 
used simply for the purpose of a clear and intelligi¬ 
ble exposition of the subject under consideration. 
When I refer in words of praise to special practices, 
it will lie for the purpose of portraying their merits, 
and displaying their beautiful and vivifying teachings, 
not for the commendation of those who observe them. 
But when I speak in other and opposite terms, if I 
should find it necessary to do so, the censure must 
fall on the individual who necessitates such a course, 
and not on the system, every particle of which, if 
properly understood, conveys most beautiful and salu¬ 
tary lessons. 



6 


THE JEWS. 


Referring then to orthodox and reform Judaism, 
they may be thus classified, that they may be better 
understood: 

First.—The strictly orthodox. 

Second.—Slightly reform. 

Third.—Moderate reform. 

Fourth.—Entire reform. 

Fifth.—Radical reform. 

Whether the word reform is used in its proper 
sense, or whether the term secession should be substi¬ 
tuted, I will not herein question. I use throughout 
the former, as the term adopted by the non-orthodox 
party, considering the choice of either unimportant 
in a book which is intended to be illustrative, not 
discussive. 

As to the date of reform, its origin was in Ger¬ 
many, and it was afterward introduced into England, 
some forty years ago. A history of its establishment 
will be found in the following extracts from an article 
on the subject, by Harry H. Marks, Esq., of this city, 
son of the Rev. Professor D. W. Marks, of London. 
He says, 

“ Germany, ever foremost in the cause of progress, 
was the scene of a first open contest for a new order 
of things. That the laity had vainly appealed to the 
clergy for a modification of the ritual and other mat- 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


7 


ters, and that whilst matters were at their worst, and 
before any one had been bold enough to oppose the 
rabbis, there arose in that country a man who was 
destined, as some claim in spite of himself, to plant 
the seeds of the coming reformation. This was Moses 
Mendelssohn, the good, true, and well-loved friend 
of the noble Lessing.” After referring to the teach¬ 
ings of Mendelssohn, and his efforts to educate the 
people to a higher standard, Mr. Marks continues— 
“ Mendelssohn died in the year 1786, at the age of 
57, honored and wept for by hundreds of his own 
and other faiths, and well deserving the epitaph which 
has become an adage amongst Jews. From Moses 
(the lawgiver) to Moses (Mendelssohn), there never 
arose one like Moses (Maimonides).” Mendelssohn's 
death, it was thought, might stay the current of re¬ 
form which was fast setting in. But it did not. On 
the contrary, the advocates of the new movement 
redoubled their efforts, and were persistent in their 
demands for a hearing at the hands of a rabbinical 
conclave, so that twenty years after the death of 
Mendelssohn, the reformers had gained in zeal and 
numbers. Three events, in some degree connected, 
which followed in rapid succession, contributed to a 
great extent to increase the energy of the advocates 
of reform. These wer z, first, the French revolution, 
which broke the chains of the French Jews, and 


8 


THE JEWS. 


thereby aroused their German brethren to renewed 
efforts for social and political recognition; second , 
the introduction of Napoleonic legislation in those 
parts of Germany which were under French rule; 
and third , the German war of Liberation, in which 
the Jews fought side by side with their Christian 
countrymen, and thereby proved their patriotism and 
their claims to citizenship. 

In 1814, Mr. Jacobsohn, who had been chief of the 
consistory of the Jewish synagogues in Napoleon’s 
newly made kingdom of Westphalia, and a stanch 
advocate of reform, established at his own expense 
the first Reform Jewish Temple in Berlin. 

In 1819, the Jewish Temple in Hamburg was open¬ 
ed, and shortly afterward, temporary services of the 
same character as those held in this Temple were 
instituted at Leipzig during the annual fairs, at which 
many Jews attended, and this led to the dissemina¬ 
tion of the Reform teachings, and helped the new 
movement greatly. From the year 1844, Rabbini¬ 
cal synods were held at Frankfort, Braunschweig, 
Breslau, and other places, and the reforms which 
had been gradually adopted were ratified and indorsed. 
About the same time, there was established at Berlin, 
the celebrated Jewish Temple, which was founded 
on such an advanced basis, that even at this day few 
congregations have overtaken it. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


9 


In 1836, several prominent Jews in England memo¬ 
rialized the authorities of the Great Synagogue in 
London, for a reform of the Synagogal ritual, and 
the abolition of the second-day festivals. This request 
the ecclesiastical authorities absolutely refused to 
grant, mainly on the same grounds as those taken by 
the orthodox authorities in Germany. 

After renewed attempts to secure reform, and re¬ 
peated refusals of the authorities to concede a single 
point, some twenty-four of the most progressive of 
the memorialists, amongst whom was Sir Isaac Lyon 
Goldsmid, held a meeting in the early part of April, 
1840, and resolved to take action themselves. They 
decided to secede from the parent organization, and 
to establish a new congregation, under the name of 
“ British Jews.” They subscribed the funds necessary 
for the work, and invited and engaged as their min¬ 
ister, Mr., now the Rev. Professor D. W. Marks, a 
gentleman of considerable ability and great eloquence, 
who was at that time secretary of the Liverpool con¬ 
gregation, and intrusted to him the revision of the 
Synagogue ritual. 

The veteran Sir Moses Montefiore, the world-re¬ 
nowned Rothschilds, Sir Benjamin Phillips, and many 
other prominent and influential men of the Jewish 
community, refused, however, to join in the movement, 

and have steadily adhered to the present day as mem- 
l* 


10 


THE JEWS. 


bers of orthodox congregations. These gentlemen, 
Sir Moses Montefiore excepted, do not profess to carry 
into private life every detail of strict orthodoxy, 
nevertheless, they refused to join in a movement, in 
which they foresaw the serious results of a schism, 
which might greatly impair Judaism, and be produc¬ 
tive of injury and discord in its midst. Even as it 
was, a bitter feeling was engendered, and lasted a 
considerable time between the two sections of the 
community, and even in private families, ties of love 
and friendship were severed, through the secession of 
some of their members, and their disregard of many 
old and time-honored customs. 

The late Rev. Dr. Solomon Herschell, a very learn¬ 
ed and pious man, was at the time, 1841, the presid¬ 
ing Chief Rabbi of all Jews in the British dominions, 
excepting the Spanish and Portuguese Congregation 
in Bevis Marks, London; the spiritual head of which 
was the equally pious and very learned Rabbi David 
Meldola. They viewed the movement with such dis¬ 
favor, and regarded it as so serious, that they issued 
a writ of excommunication, declaring the rebellious 
congregation to have “ forfeited all claims on the 
rights and immunities which they enjoyed as members 
of our community, that the grants made to them of 
seats in our Synagogues are rescinded and annulled. 
They are also declared ineligible to act in any re- 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


11 


ligious office, or to perform a Mitzvah* of any kind 
in the congregation. Neither shall any gift or offering 
be accepted from them, or in any respect of them, in 
any way or under any form whatsoever, during the 
time they may remain in contumacy. They shall not 
be allowed burial in our burial-grounds, nor receive 
any of the religious rites or ceremonies paid to de¬ 
parted members of our communion. 7 ’ They would not 
associate with any of its members for any religious, 
or even charitable purposes, and to the hour of their 
death they never countenanced them. 

Their successors, the Rev. Drs. Nathan Marcus 
Adler and late Benjamin Artom, met them, however, 
in charitable and benevolent institutions to which all 
subscribe in common, and which are not allowed to 
suffer, nor have their usefulness impaired, by any dif¬ 
ference of the religious opinions of their supporters. 
Time and circumstances have lessened the breach, 
and although religiously they are as distant as ever 
from each other, socially they are united, and each 
goes his own way in peace. 

A few years subsequent to the establishment of the 
congregation referred to, the second one in England 
was formed in Manchester, but hitherto, the movement 
has not very widely spread in England or its Colonies, 
nor has it been so radical and sweeping as in America. 


* Religious Act. 


12 


THE JEWS. 


“ The principal reforms adopted by the Reform 
Jews of England may be summed up as follows: They 
have shortened the Synagogue services, and introduced 
an organ and female voices into the choir. They have 
abolished all fasts, festivals, and observances of rab¬ 
binical origin, and for which the Bible gives no au¬ 
thority. They have instituted the right of confirm* 
ation of boys and girls alike—an innovation which 
many orthodox congregations have copied. They deny 
the inspiration of the Talmud, though they value it 
as a great literary work, and maintain that the Bible 
is its own sufficient interpreter. Unlike the more 
advanced reformers of Germany and America, the 
British Jews abstain from all work on the Sabbath 
and festivals, and many of them observe the dietary 
laws.” 

On this subject, an extract from a sermon by the 
Rev. Professor Marks will be found in the Appendix, 
in which also there are extracts from two sermons by 
the author, illustrative of Jewish principles. 

Jewish reform in America is of late birth, but of 
remarkably rapid growth. Reform here had its 
origin amongst the Germans, who form a large ma¬ 
jority of the reform congregations, and who have 
contributed every Jewish reform minister of promi¬ 
nence in the country. The first important step to¬ 
ward American Jewish Reformation, was taken in 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


13 


Charleston, S. C., a place which had many Jewish 
settlers in the early days of the American colonies, 
under the leadership of the Rev. G. Poznanski, min¬ 
ister of the Beth Elohim* congregation. The prin¬ 
cipal changes made, were the introduction of an organ 
into the Synagogue, the abolition of the second-day 
festivals, and the substitution of English for Hebrew 
hymns. 

The next step toward reform in America, was 
taken in New York, in 1843, by Dr. Ludwig Merz- 
bacher. He preached occasionally in the three Ger¬ 
man Synagogues then existing in New York, and in 
consequence of his teachings, a sufficient number of 
gentlemen seceded from the old congregations, and on 
November 19,1843, formed a society for Jewish divine 
worship. 

In April, 1845, when the society numbered thirty- 
three members, they organized themselves into a 
regular congregation, under the name of Emmanuel.! 

The beliefs of the reform Jews, as stated by the 
Rev. Dr. Wise, of Cincinnati, one of the most promi¬ 
nent ministers of the new school, are as follows : 

“ Like all other Jews, they are Unitarian in theology, 
and acknowledge the old Testament Scriptures as the 
divine source of law and doctrine, but reject the ad¬ 
ditional authority of the Talmud, in place of which, 

* House of dod. t God be with us. 


i 


14 


THE JEWS. 


they appeal to reason and conscience, as the highest 
authority in expounding the Scriptures. They be¬ 
lieve in the immortality of the soul, future reward 
and punishment, perfectibility of human nature, of 
final and universal triumph of truth and righteous¬ 
ness. They reject the belief in the coming of the 
Messiah; the gathering of the Hebrew people to 
Palestine, to form a separate government, and to re¬ 
store the ancient polity of animal sacrifices and the 
Levitical priesthood; the resurrection of the body, 
and the last judgment day, and the authority of the 
Talmud above any other collection of commentaries 
on the Bible. Their hermeneutics is rationalistic. 
They reject the evidence of miracles, relying exclusive¬ 
ly upon the internal evidence of the Scriptures, and the 
common consent of all civilized nations, to the divini¬ 
ty of the scriptural laws and doctrines. Except in 
the case of Moses, of whom the Scriptures testify 
4 mouth to mouth I speak unto him;’ the appearance, 
and speaking of angels, as also the appearance and 
speaking of God, were subjective in the vision, wak¬ 
ing or dreaming, appearing objectively, which was 
not the case in reality. In respect to doctrine, they 
hold that all religious doctrines must be taken from 
the Bible, and must be in harmony with the loftiest 
and purest conceptions of the Deity, suggested by 
the Scriptures, and confirmed by reason and con- 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


15 


science. In respect to law, they hold that all laws 
contained in the Decalogue, expressed or implied, are 
obligatory forever, both in letter and spirit. All 
laws not contained in the Decalogue , expressed or 
implied , are local and temporal (although the principle 
expressed by some may be eternal), and could have been 
intended for certain times and localities only .” 

The second days of the holy days are a rabbinical 
institution, and were ordained from the following 
cause. The Jewish calendar is regulated by lunar 
observations, and all the festivals are arranged in ac¬ 
cordance with its calculations. Previous to the per¬ 
fection of astronomical knowledge, the exact time of 
the new moon, which is the commencement of the 
Jewish month, could not be precisely ascertained and 
was often not known for perhaps a day or more after 
its actual occurrence, until it became plainly visible, 
and in such cases, it was possible that the festival 
might not be observed on the proper day. To avoid 
all doubt, and to make allowance for the variation of 
time, and the distance by which many of the people 
were separated, and in order that all Israel might 
observe the various ordinances simultaneously for a 
day and night, the rabbins instituted an additional 
day to that commanded in the Pentateuch. 

It is claimed by reform congregations, that the ne¬ 
cessity for their observance no longer exists, inasmuch 


16 


THE JEWS. 


as the perfect knowledge of astronomy, fixes the time 
now to the most minute exactness. The curtailment 
of the ritual was claimed to be necessary, inasmuch 
as there were many repetitions in it, some passages 
which were considered unnecessary, and unsuited to 
the present times, and being too lengthy to insure 
devotion. 

The obliteration of the Peyutim has to a great ex¬ 
tent been conceded, even by the strong supporters of 
orthodoxy. The Peyutim are numerous poetical 
rhapsodies, composed by various scholarly individ¬ 
uals on particular occasions, according to the ideas 
and sentiments which the circumstances causing their 
composition aroused. Many of them are masterly 
effusions of considerable merit and ability, and are 
written in most elegant language. Their composi¬ 
tion generally evinces more than an ordinary knowl¬ 
edge of biblical and rabbinical writings, from which 
extracts are largely made. They were possibly ad¬ 
apted to the times when they were written, when the 
nation was greatly persecuted, and most or nearly 
the entire day was spent in the Synagogue, or house 
of study; but are now more honored in the breach 
than in the observance. They form no part of the 
common prayer book now in use, which was compiled 
by the Onshy Kenneses Hogdowlo* an acknowl- 


* Men of the great assembly. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


17 


edged body of a hundred and twenty learned and 
pious Rabbonim amongst whom were Ezra and his 
contemporaries, but have been added and interspersed 
with it in the ordinary synagogal services. 

The strictly orthodox permit of no change what¬ 
ever, either in public worship or domestic ceremo¬ 
nies. They adhere rigidly to the Shulchan-Orooch, 
a code of laws compiled about three hundred and 
fifty years since, embodying ordinances and regula¬ 
tions instituted in earlier ages, during and since the 
time when the colleges of the celebrated Hillel and 
Sliamai flourished, nearly two thousand years back. 
There is, and always has been, some slight but im¬ 
material difference in the customs and ritual of the 
Sephardim, + Ashkenezim,^: and Polish Jews, but 
excepting that the Sephardim never adopted the 
Peyutim to any extent, it has been unimportant in 
its general character, and peculiar to them and their 
nationalities. 

The slightly reform, whose modifications are so 
very slight that they still rank as orthodox, have made 
but few and unimportant alterations. The form of 
service for the holy days remains nearly undisturbed, 
and but slight deviation is at any time made from it. 
Many portions of it, however, which were formerly 
said aloud by the entire congregation, are now sung 


* Plural of Rabbi. 


t Spanish and Portuguese. 


t German. 


18 


THE JEWS. 


by the choir, or delegated to -the minister, who de¬ 
claims them instead of using the old chant; those of 
the congregation who wish to join, doing so in silence. 
Various things connected with the service, which 
formerly were distributed amongst the members, and 
looked upon as an honor conferred, are now perform¬ 
ed by the wardens exclusively, such as opening the 
ark, taking out and replacing the scrolls of the law, 
etc. 

The Haftorah and prayer for the government 
are read in English. These and similar things have 
been done to promote decorum, but without being a 
serious infringement upon orthodox practice. 

In orthodox congregations the Pentateuch is divid¬ 
ed into fifty-two sections, one of which is read each 
Sabbath, so that it is read throughout every year. 
Amongst the reformers it is subdivided, so that it 
is only read through once in three or five years, ac¬ 
cording to the regulations which they respectively 
adopt. 

The Haftorah is a portion selected from the pro¬ 
phets, corresponding as nearly as possible with the 
Pentateuchal lesson for the day, and its origin is as 
follows: Until the violent persecution of Antiochus 
Epiplianes, the law only was read, but the reading of 
it being then prohibited, sections out of the prophets 
were substituted,bearing a resemblance to the section 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


19 


of the law which would otherwise have been read; 
and when the reading of the law was restored by the 
Maccabees, the section which was read every Sabbath 
out of the law served for the first lesson, and the sec¬ 
tion out of the prophets for the second, which custom 
continues to the present day even in reform congre¬ 
gations. It was from this custom of the Israelites, 
that the primitive Christians adopted theirs, of read¬ 
ing a lesson every Sabbath out of the Old and New 
Testaments, and on this custom, the practice of the 
church in reading certain portions of the Epistles and 
Gospels was founded. 

On every Sabbath and festival the rabbi or minis¬ 
ter recites a prayer for the government; loyalty 
toward our place of residence, or the one which af¬ 
fords us its protection, and acquiescence in its laws, 
being an incumbent principle enjoined upon us. 

The moderate reform allow pews, in which the 
sexes are permitted to sit together,* the introduction 
of an organ, female singers in the choir, a shortening 
of the ritual and scriptural readings, the recital of an 
English form of prayer in memory of the dead, instead 
of the old Hebrew one, and the introduction of an 
occasional English prayer, in addition to the ordinary 
ritual. 

* In strictly orthodox Synagogues, females occupy the galleries, and males 
the body of the building. 


20 


THE JEWS. 


The radical reform have gone so far, that it is 
difficult to say how much, or rather how little they 
observe of Judaism. In some instances, they inter¬ 
marry, do not observe circumcision, one of its funda¬ 
mental principles, the Abrahamic covenant, and ex¬ 
cepting their acknowledgment of a Unity, and a 
disbelief in Christianity, it is difficult to ascribe any 
other principle to them. They certainly cannot be 
considered practising Jews; and denying Christ, they 
cannot be called Christians : we leave it to our read¬ 
ers to designate them. 

Of that class of infidels who are without belief, I 
can only repeat the words of the royal psalmist, “the 
fool has said in his heart,there is no God,” in reference 
to which, the late Grace Aguilar wrote the following 
beautiful lines: 


“ WHAT IS GOD?” 

BY GRACE AGUILAR. 

The question, “ What is God?” was repeated to me as having been asked by a 
third person. The following was my reply: 

Oh, ask not that question, ’tis impious and vain ! 

’Tis a subject too mighty for thought to retain. 

Enough ’tis to feel, where’er we may be, 

A Spirit is round us from which who can flee ? 

Can we look on ourselves, and say what we are ? 

Will not mystery, thoughts, e’en of intellect, bar? 

When we gaze on the bright-spangled mantle of night, 

Can we say what composes those pure worlds of light ? 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


21 


As we look on the flower, can we say how it grows ? 

As we glance on the river, reveal how it flows ? 

Can we solve, as we listen to ocean’s rude roar, 

What power constrains it to burst on the shore ? 

’Tis in vain, ’tis in vain, we cannot upraise 
The veil which would check our too daring gaze; 

And if all creation its nature conceals, 

Dare we seek to know more than the Eternal reveals? 

God is infinite Mercy, and Wisdom, and Might, 
Unequalled in Glory, Eternal in Light, 

He is Love, which nor Heaven nor Earth can embrace; 

He is Love, which around us each hour we can trace. 

He is Justice too perfect for us to conceive, 

Salvation to all who in Him do believe, 

The “Fountain of Life” to His creatures below, 

The ‘ ‘ Spirit ” whence all our best actions flow. 

A “refuge” for all in the tempest of life, 

A “shadow from heat,” and a “fortress in strife,” 

The “strong habitation,” where all may resort, 

The “rock” which for ages the faithful have sought. 

He is Monarch of Heaven, of Earth, and of Sea, 

He has been, and is, and forever will be, 

The Sovereign Eternal, the Judge all supreme, 

Whose mercy o’er us everlasting will beam. 

And this is enough for us mortals to know; 

Thus far we may ponder—none farther may go. 

Go, look in His Word, would ye know Him yet more, 

And ask not, “ what He is,” but bow down and adore ! 

It will be seen from the foregoing, that there are va¬ 
rious stages of reform, and that its practice and extent 


22 


THE JEWS. 


differ, according to the tastes and opinions of differ¬ 
ent pastors and their congregations. 

In England, and most European cities, there is a 
Chief Rabbi and three Dayanim* who form an eccle¬ 
siastical court, and by whom all religious matters are 
regulated according to law and custom; but in 
America, the minister of each congregation has as¬ 
sumed those functions within himself, and hence, the 
diversity of opinions and practice. We have so far 
referred to the difference between orthodoxy and re¬ 
form in the abstract, that it might be properly under¬ 
stood by those who are not sufficiently acquainted 
with, or informed on the subject, and we will now 
give a description of the various feasts and fasts, and 
the domestic and ceremonial observances, accord¬ 
ing to old orthodox custom, noting some which are 
not practised by reformers. Even, however, amongst 
those who have swerved from orthodoxy, certain old 
customs retain a strong hold upon their fancies, and 
are observed by them on special occasions of joy or 
sorrow with scrupulous attention and regard. To 
what extent this exists, we canndt say, but that it 
does exist we are certain. 

In the Appendix will be found, in addition to ex¬ 
tracts from the ordinary ritual, several short bless¬ 
ings used by the pious and thoughtful Jew on spe- 


* Authorized Eabbonim. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


23 


cial occasions, in acknowledgment of tlie goodness, 
wisdom, and greatness of the Eternal, and in praise 
and thankfulness for the many blessings and mercies, 
which He continually bestows on His creatures. 
Thus on every occurrence, and at each circumstance 
of our life, we find the opportunity to glorify His 
great and holy name, and to exclaim in the words of 
David, “How many are Thy works, 0 Lord! all of 
them hast Thou made in wisdom. Great is our Lord, 
and of abundant power, His understanding is incom¬ 
prehensible.” 


24 


THE JEWS. 


PART I. 

TREATING OF THE JEWISH CALENDAR, SABBATHS, 
FESTIVALS, AND FASTS. 

The Jewish year is of different lengths, accordingly 
as it is perfect, common, or imperfect. The perfect 
year has three hundred and fifty-five days, when the 
months of Heshvan and Kislive have each thirty 
days; the common year consists of three hundred and 
fifty-four days, when Heshvan has twenty-nine and 
Kislive thirty; and the imperfect year has only three 
hundred and fifty-three days, when both Heshvan and 
Kislive have only twenty-nine days. There is also 
the embolismic year, formed by the introduction of an 
intercalary month after Adar, which is introduced 
when necessary, so that the Passover may be observed 
in its proper season, which is whilst the sun is in the 
sign Aries, at the first full moon after the vernal equi¬ 
nox. In the ordinary years there are twelve months, 
named, Nisson, Eyor, Sivvon, Tommooz, Av, Ellool, 
Tishree, Heshvan, Kislive, Tivice, Shervot, Adar, 
and occasionally, as before mentioned, there is an ad¬ 
ditional month called Yeadar, or second Adar. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 25 

The actual New Year, or civil year, commences at 
Tishree, that being the anniversary of the creation. 
The ecclesiastical year, and the months, however, are 
counted from Nisson, that being the time of the re¬ 
demption from Egypt, and in accordance with the 
direction of Holy Writ.* The months, as already 
stated, are of various lengths, and computed according 
to lunar reckoning, each one commencing with the 
new moon, and being announced in the Synagogue 
on the Sabbath previous, with a prayer that it may 
be to that congregation, and to all Israel, a month of 
life, health, joy, and prosperity. 

The Shobbos, Sabbath, as well as all festivals, 
commence on the eve previous, and terminate at sun¬ 
set. “ And the evening and the morning were one 
day.” Amongst strictly orthodox Jews, the Sabbath 
is rigidly observed. No work of any kind is per¬ 
mitted to be done thereon, even by Christian help, 
except that which is absolutely necessary. Riding, 
even in public conveyances, is not allowed, on account 
of the labor it entails on man and beast, it being con¬ 
sidered that the payment made for the accommodation, 
constitutes it for the time being as individual property. 
Those who indulge in it, claim that the public con¬ 
veyance would travel, whether they were in it or not, 
and that the labor being performed by a non-Jew, 

* Ex. xii. 2. 

2 


26 


THE JEWS. 


it is no violation on his part, since that day is 
not his Sabbath, and therefore it is not obligatory 
upon him. A strict Jew does not handle fire on the 
Sabbath, in obedience to the command, “ thou shalt 
not kindle fire throughout thy dwellings on the Sab¬ 
bath day.”* No cooking is done thereon, everything 
being prepared on the Friday, in accordance with the 
precept, “ bake that which ye will bake to-day, and 
seethe that which ye will seetlie.”t The Sabbath 
meal, even amongst the poor, has generally some 
extras in honor of the day, which is marked in va¬ 
rious ways, such as by the Sabbath lights, which are 
lighted at its commencement by the matron, the two 
loaves, over which the master says grace and sancti¬ 
fication before meals, in commemoration of the double 
portion of manna which fell on the sixth day, the 
snowy white table-cover, and many other apparently 
trifling things, but which all tended to mark it as a 
special and sacred day. The master of the house, on 
his return from the Synagogue on the eve of the Sab¬ 
bath, is saluted by his wife and lamily with the 
greeting, good Shobbos, and having sung a hymn of 
welcome and the Kiddush, sanctification, they par¬ 
take of the family repast, after which other hymns 
are sung, and grace recited. The children then, ac¬ 
cording to seniority, are blessed by each of their par- 


* Ex. xxxv. 3. 


t Ex. xvi. 23. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


27 


ents, which they value so highly as to continue it 
through life, often going a distance from their homes 
to receive it when separated. The vivid remem¬ 
brance of it, on the Sabbath eve, and the deprivation 
of it by the death of a pious and honored father, and 
the separation from a loving and dearly loved mother, 
fills my heart with deep emotion, and I cannot pay 
them a higher tribute of duty and affection than by 
thus acknowledging it. At the conclusion of the 
Sabbath, a short service called Hovdoloh is recit¬ 
ed, and the holy day is ended. 

The wine used for sanctification and for all 
other religious purposes, and made from the raisin 
itself, was always, and is now, mostly of domestic 
manufacture. In later years, since its manufacture 
in Germany and Australia, the wines from those 
countries are frequently used, and the old style of 
boiling down the raisins is retained only from reli¬ 
gious scruples, or motives of economy. The reason 
why the ordinary wine was not used, is this—in 
former years it was made chiefly in France, £pain, 
Portugal, and Italy, and was always consecrated for 
Catholic or Pontifical use; therefore, after having 
been once consecrated for those purposes, it could not 
be used for our religious ceremonies. 

We will now proceed to describe the various feasts 
and fasts, in the order in which they occur, com- 


28 


THE JEWS. 


mencing, not with the new year, but with the first of 
the months, viz.: 


NISSON. 

On the fourteenth day of this month, at evening, 
the festival of Pa-soch, Passover, commences, and is 
the great national Jewish feast, in commemoration of 
their emancipation from Egyptian slavery and op¬ 
pression. The festival is continued for eight days, 
the first two and last two being held sacred, and the 
intervening ones being permitted to be devoted to 
ordinary avocations. There is, however, a difference 
between the sacredness of the Sabbath and festivals, 
in this degree. The restrictions on the sacred days 
of the festivals are simply from business and labor, 
whilst those of the Sabbath apply exclusively to that 
day. Outside the special religious observances at¬ 
tached to each particular festival, they are seasons 
of pleasure and joy. The reformers only observe the 
first and seventh days, in place of the first and last 
two kept by the orthodox. The day on which the 
Passover commences, is called Arav-Pasoch, the eve 
of the Passover, and at an early hour in the forenoon, 
the house must be clear from all leaven. The first¬ 
born male in many families take on themselves to 
fast, the whole or part of the day, in grateful remem¬ 
brance of the saving thereon of the first-born of Israel, 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


29 


whilst those of the Egyptians were slain. During the 
entire festival, no leavened food nor fermented liquors 
are permitted to be used, in accordance with scrip¬ 
tural injunction * Motsos supply the place of ordi¬ 
nary bread. The Motso is a very thin cake of flour 
and water only, baked quickly in a hot oven, so that 
it has no time to rise. Other food may be eaten ex¬ 
cept bread, and that which becomes leaven by prepa¬ 
ration. Some reformers consider it sufficient to have 
Motsos on the table as commemorative, and have 
them and the ordinary bread likewise. Such a course 
appears inconsistent, on reading the injunction re¬ 
specting the ordinance. On the first two evenings, 
the family circle join together, and recite the Har- 
godoh, a history of the dwelling of the Israelites in 
Egypt, and of their miraculous deliverance therefrom. 
The nature of the festival, and the reason and manner 
of its observance, as well as the details of the re¬ 
demption, are explained by the master of the house, 
or some one invited to perform that office, and if there 
are any Jewish servants in the household, they join 
the service, for on that great and glorious night we 
all became free and emancipated. 

The Hargodoh is divided into two parts: the first, 
as above stated, contains a detailed account of our 
slavery and redemption, and certain hypothetical 

* Ex. xii. 15, 19, 20. Deut xvii. 3, 4. 


30 


THE JEWS. 


compositions, and its recital and explanation occupy 
about an hour; the latter part consists of songs of 
praise and thanks to the Eternal for His great and 
signal goodness, and hymns of joy and gladness. Be¬ 
tween the two parts a bounteous supper is supplied, ' 
accordingly as means will admit, and although it is 
enjoyed to the full extent, and great hilarity exists, 
it may be boasted, that on these, and indeed on all 
other joyous occasions, excess is avoided, temperance, 
but not abstinence, being a Jewish characteristic. In 
many cases, these evenings are the occasions of social 
intercourse, families and friends inviting each other, 
and joining in their celebration, whilst strangers in 
the place, whether rich or poor, will sure to be in¬ 
vited to some family, and receive a hearty and cordial 
welcome.* At these times, all distinctions, with a due 
respect always for proper courtesy, are levelled, and 
every one is made to feel happy, in the fulness of joy 
and gratitude by which they are surrounded. The 
second day of the Passover is the commencement of 
the Sepheroh, or, as it is commonly called, the Omer, 
which continues for seven weeks, and is completed 
on the fiftieth day, which is the first of the feast of 
Pentecost. Sepheroh means counting, and Omer 

* The writer had the distinguished honor, on three successive occasions, of 
being invited to recite the Hargodoh at the house of the late Baron Lionel De 
Rothschild, in the presence of the three Barons and their families, the late 
Sir David Salomons, Lord Mayor of London, and several others of the most 
distinguished members of the Jewish community. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


31 


signifies a certain measure.* In former times, it was 
not permitted to eat of the new corn until the six¬ 
teenth day of the first month, nor until an Omer of 
it had been brought to the priest as a thanksgiving 
unto the Lord.f Seven complete weeks were then to 
be counted,]: when the Pentecost, of which we shall 
speak hereafter, was celebrated. 

This ceremony of counting is still practised as a 
memorial by many, who embody it with the regular 
evening prayer in a few appropriate words, saying, 
this is the-day of the Omer. 

EYOR. 

In this month there is no ordained feast or fast to 
be observed. The eighteenth day, however, is regard¬ 
ed as a minor holyday, for the following reason. A 
severe epidemic had been raging amongst the disci¬ 
ples of a certain college of learning, by which a large 
number had died, and it ceased on that day, which 
has since been called “ the scholar’s feast.” It is also 
called, Log L’Omer, being the thirty-third day of the 
Omer. The Hebrew letters are used as numbers, and 
the word Log is a compound of the two letters Lum- 
med and Gimmel, the former denoting thirty, and the 
latter, three. 


* Ex. xvi. 16. 


t Levit. xxiii. 10, 14. 


$ Levit. xxiii. 15, 16. 


32 


THE JEWS. 


SI WON. 

On the sixth and seventh days of this month, is the 
important and soul-stirring festival of Sho-voo-ouse, 
Pentecost, Feast of Weeks, so called, from its being 
observed at the expiration of the seven weeks before 
mentioned.* It is likewise called Youm-Harbikoo- 
rim, the day of ripe fruits.t But above all it is sacred 
and important in its character, as the anniversary 
of that great and eventful epoch,J when the Eternal 
at Sinai, in the year 2448 a. m., delivered unto our 
nation that glorious dispensation, the Decalogue, of 
which it has been our inestimable privilege to be the 
legal custodians; that fountain of light, that moral 
code, from which all nations of the earth have drawn, 
and which every creed has universally adopted as the 
basis and foundation of religion, law, justice, and mo¬ 
rality. The Jew may be justly proud that his peo¬ 
ple has been chosen as the depositary of this great 
treasure, a signal proof, if any were needed, of the 
truth of Judaism, and that it is the original and true 
faith and system, from which all others sprung, and 
are merely branches or offshoots. It is indeed a priv¬ 
ilege and a high honor when questioned as to your 
faith, to be able to reply in the words of the prophet 
Jonah, “ I am a Hebrew.” 


* Deut. xvi. 9. 10. 


t Numb, xxviii. 26. 


iEx. xix 1. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


33 


TOMMOOZ. 

The seventeenth day of this month, Shiv-vo O-sor 
Ber-tom-moozJs a fast day, and may well be so, from 
the many misfortunes which happened thereon. On 
this day, 3828 a. m., the daily sacrifices ceased. It 
is also noted for the following sad events happening 
thereon. First, Moses broke the tables of stone; sec¬ 
ond, the walls of Jerusalem were destroyed; third, 
Jerusalem was taken and siege laid to the Temple 
by Titus; and fourth, the scrolls of the law were 
burned by Appustamus. All these misfortunes oc¬ 
curred on this black day in Jewish history, which 
is promised to become a day of joy.* The siege 
commenced on this day, continued for three weeks, 
until the ninth day of Av, and as this period was one 
of great calamity and misfortune to the Jewish nation, 
it has been rabinnically ordained, that no marriages 
or festivities of any kind should take place during 
that time. 

From the time Jerusalem came into the possession 
of, and before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, it 
was taken and plundered four times, viz.: in the 
reign of Rehoboam, by the Egyptians;t by the Ara¬ 
bians, in the reign of Joram;^: by the Syrians, under 
Joash;§ and by the Israelites, under Amaziah || 

* Zech. viii. 19. 11. Kings, xiv. 26. i II. Chron. xxi. 17. 

§ II. Chron. xxiv. 23. IIII. Chron. xxx. 23, 24. 


2 


34 


THE JEWS. 


AY. 

The ninth day of this month, Tish-o B’av, com¬ 
monly called the Black Fast, is another day of great 
misfortune to the Jewish nation. On this day the 
siege culminated with the destruction of the first 
Temple, in the year 3338 a. m., by Nebuchadnez¬ 
zar/' and subsequently, on the a ame date, the second 
Temple was burned by Titus. It was also remarka¬ 
ble for the death of those who rebelled with Korah 
in the wilderness, and the taking of Bither by Severus. 
It is at least a most remarkable incident, if not di¬ 
vinely ordained, that both Temples were destroyed 
on the same date, with an interval of 490 years. The 
atrocities practised by the enemy, and the accounts 
of the cruel tortures and massacre of thousands of 
men, women, and children, are harrowing in the ex¬ 
treme, and are feelingly alluded to in the dirges 
which, with the book of Lamentations, are read in the 
Synagogue on this day. It is observed as a day of 
fasting and sorrow on account of the destruction of 
Jerusalem, accompanied with prayers for its restora¬ 
tion. On this subject of the restoration, it will not 
be out of place here, to make a few remarks in op¬ 
position to those views which some professing Jews 
have put forward regarding it, lest silence might be 


* Jer. lii. 12 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


35 


construed into acquiescence or agreement with them 
by the entire community, which is by no means the 
case. They say, that the mission of Israel is to be 
scattered throughout the globe, to promulgate and 
teach the Unity of God; that, I concede, and I say 
the Jews are now, and have long been fulfilling that 
mission, and silently advancing civilization and 
liberalism in its fullest sense. They say, this is our 
Jerusalem, this is our adopted country; our Jerusa¬ 
lem is wherever we are doing well, and we do not 
want to go back to Palestine, nor would we if we 
could. Many of these are those who have prospered 
beyond their most sanguine expectations, and bestow 
no thought beyond worldly success. It is neither my 
province nor my desire, herein to criticise them nor 
their sentiments, but it is my duty to put forward the 
opposite view of the question, so as to avoid any mis¬ 
conception, or the acceptance of such an exposition 
as a Jewish hope or idea in general. 

There is no doubt, that but few Jews would care 
to go to Jerusalem in its present condition, nor 
would it be wise nor politic for them to attempt it 
of their own accord. They must wait until their 
mission is fulfilled, and until it pleases Him who has 
promised to restore them, when, in His own way, He 
will make it known, and do so. This is plainly set 
forth in the 60th chapter of Isaiah, and especially in 


36 


THE JEWS. 


the last verse, in the following words: “ A little one 
shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong 
nation, I, the Lord, will hasten it in its due time.” In 
reply to the observations that it is barren and deso¬ 
late and unfit for occupation or commercial enter¬ 
prise, I answer, that is the part of the prophecy 
which has been fulfilled, and is an evidence that the 
other part will be verified, when it shall please the 
Most High, praised and glorified be His holy name. 
At that time, He, who has covered the earth with 
verdure, and bespangled the starry firmament, will 
render it a fertile and lovely spot, not only fit for 
our habitation, but will bring the minds of His peo¬ 
ple to dwell there. It does not follow as a necessity, 
that all Jews must reside in Palestine, any more than 
that all Englishmen, Germans, or Frenchmen, must 
reside in England, Germany, or France. Either the 
prophecies are all true, or untrue. We cannot select 
certain passages to suit our views, and reject others; 
and I think but few will entirely discard them. The 
frequent promises are too numerous for quotation 
here, and I refer my readers to the Holy Scriptures 
and the books of the prophets, where they will find 
them in abundance, and which will certainly con¬ 
vince them. I shall, therefore, conclude this subject 
with the following words of Isaiah: “ For the Lord 
will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


37 


places, and He will make her wilderness like Eden, 
and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and 
gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and 
the voice of melody.* 


ELLOOL. 

Nothing occurs in this month requiring special 
notice. 


TISHREE. 

The first and second days of this month are cele¬ 
brated as the New Year, and the anniversary of the 
creation. It is the commencement of the civil year, 
and is called Rowsh-Harshono, signifying the begin¬ 
ning of the year. It is also called Yowm-Harzik- 
korown, the day of memorial, and Yowm-Hardin, 
the day of judgment, because it is supposed that on 
this day all creatures stand in judgment before the 
Lord for their actions of the past year, and that their 
fate for the ensuing one is recorded. 

Special and suitable prayers are used, and the 
Shou-far, cornet, is sounded in the Synagogue. 
“ Blow the trumpet on the New Moon, at the time 
appointed on our solemn feast day, for this is a stat¬ 
ute unto Israel, a law of the God of Jacob”! The 


* Isaiah, li. 3. 


i Psalm lxxxi. 4, 5; see, also, Numb. xxix. 1, 


38 


THE JEWS. 


cornet used, is made of a ram’s horn, in allusion to 
the ram caught and sacrificed by Abraham on the 
Mount Moriah in place of his son Isaac. This subject 
also forms the Pentateuchal lesson of the day, with 
fervent prayer that we may be remembered with 
favor, through the covenant made with Abraham for 
his ready acquiescence in the Divine command. 

Many of our ceremonial observances are symbolical 
or typical, and although not essentials of religion, are 
aids to it. They may be compared to the leaves of 
a flower or a tree, which add beauty and fragrance 
to the stem or trunk. They are valuable adjuncts, 
and often by the beautiful lessons they convey, and a 
proper illustration of them, are productive of con¬ 
siderable good. 

A custom still prevails amongst many old and or¬ 
thodox Jews, to go on the first day of the New Year 
to the water-side, and repeat the following verses: 
“ Who is like unto Thee, a God, pardoning iniquity, 
and passing by the transgression of the remnant of 
His heritage ? He retaineth not His anger forever, 
for He delights in mercy. He will turn again, He 
will have compassion on us, He will subdue our in¬ 
iquities; yea, Thou wilt cast all their sins into the 
depths of the sea. All the sins of Thy people, the 
house of Israel, wilt Thou cast where they shall not 
be remembered, nor observed, nor evermore come to 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


39 


mind. Thou wilt surely perform the truth to Jacob, 
and grace to Abraham, as Thou didst swear unto our 
ancestors from the earliest days.”* This ceremony 
is called Toshlich, or casting away, and of course is 
only figurative. Another custom is, at the grace be¬ 
fore meals, on the eye of the New Year, to partake 
of a piece of sweet apple dipped in honey, adding to 
the customary grace the following words: “ May it 
be Thy gracious will, 0 Lord our God, to renew un¬ 
to us a sweet and felicitous year.” In these and simi¬ 
lar customs, which may at the first view appear tri¬ 
fling, the reflective mind will perceive the means to 
an end. They were intended, beyond doubt, to im¬ 
press on the mind, that all the good which we enjoy 
is derived from a wise, good, and merciful Being, 
whom we should constantly have in mind, and to 
whom we should on every occasion, and under all- 
circumstances, offer our grateful praise and fervent 
prayers. The first day of the New Year is the com¬ 
mencement of the ten penitential days, which continue 
until after the Day of Atonement. These days, espe¬ 
cially those of the New Year and Day of Atonement, 
are observed with more or less devotion by every Jew 
in the world, even by those who during the year are 
lax in their religious principles. They are consider- 
ered a most solemn period, and many who are in 


* Micah, vii. 18, 19, 20. 


40 


THE JEWS. 


places where there is no regular congregation, either 
join together to observe them, or travel sometimes a 
considerable distance to an established Synagogue. 
During this time, and for some days previous to the 
New Year, the Synagogues are attended at day-break, 
and Seltcoth, or special supplicatory prayers for 
grace and pardon, are read prior to the regular 
morning service. The purpose of the Arsaras Y’my 
Hotshoovo, ten days of penitence, seven of which 
intervene between the New Year and Day of Atone¬ 
ment, is to give an opportunity for penitence and refor¬ 
mation, so that the Day of Atonement may be one of 
purification, and pardon for past sins. But to secure 
this, there must be no pretence, for we cannot de¬ 
ceive Him, who knows our secret thoughts. The 
intention to reform must be honest and sincere, or 
we only add to our sin by hypocrisy. As the bather 
cannot be purified with the impurity in his hand, so 
the sinner cannot be pardoned, until he has thrown 
off his sin. The spirit and intention of these days 
*must not be abused, or the effect is destroyed, and 
their efficacy must not be relied on as an antidote 
for sin, or they are useless; for it is an established 
maxim of the rabbins, that he who says, “ I may sin 
because I can afterward repent, the opportunity for 
repentance frequently does not occur to him.” Sick- 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


41 


ness or death may overtake him, and he may die 
without the intended reformation. 

The third of the penitential days, “ the fast of the 
seventh month,” is called the fast of Gedaliali, and is 
observed as such in memory of his assassination.* 
The tenth day of this month, named the White Fast, 
is called Yowm-Kippoor, Day of Atonement, so call¬ 
ed, because it is hoped that on this day, our sins of 
the past are pardoned. This happy realization can, 
however, only be expected, if the previous days re¬ 
ferred to have been faithfully and properly devoted 
to prayer and sincere penitence; otherwise, it is an 
insult to the Deity and an abuse of common intelli¬ 
gence to expect it. This is the most solemn and 
serious day of the year, and is entirely occupied in 
the Synagogue, besides a service on the previous 
evening. It is a day exclusive of all worldly mat¬ 
ters, and of total abstinence from food, even so much 
as tasting water being prohibited. This, like the 
fast of Ay, is from sunset to sunset, all other fasts 
commencing at daylight of their particular day. 
The fast of Ay, however, is neither so important, nor 
so generally observed. This is the only day of the 
year when the High Priest was permitted to enter 
the Sanctum Sanctorum, and not even then, until 
after many purifications and oblations, when he enter- 


* II. Kings, xxv. 25. 


42 


THE JEWS. 


ed to make propitiation for the sins of the people, 
and to pray to God to bestow in His infinite mercy, 
peace, blessings, and tranquillity on the Israelitish 
nation, during the ensuing year. 

On the eve of the fifteenth of this month, the festi¬ 
val of Suc-coth, Tabernacles, commences, and contin¬ 
ues for eight days.* This is in commemoration of the 
dwelling of the Israelites in booths during their 
journeying through the wilderness, and as a festival 
of rejoicing. The branch of the palm-tree, with 
sprigs of myrtle and willow, and the citron, are 
waved in the Synagogue,t and on the seventh day, 
which is called Hoshanna-Robboh, a day of Great 
Salvation, a procession is formed, and seven circuits 
are made with them in the Synagogue, appropri¬ 
ate pieces being recited meanwhile. The following 
day, which is called Shermenee-Artsaras, eighth 
day of Solemn Assembly,]; special prayers are offered 
for rain to replenish the earth in its due season, and 
that the soil may be productive and fruitful for the 
coming year. The following day, does not strictly 
belong to the festival, but has been added thereto. 
It is called Simchas-Towro, rejoicing of the law. 
As mentioned earlier, it is tli3 custom in orthodox 
congregations, to divide the Pentateuch, so as to read 
it through annually. This is the day on which it is 

* Levit. xxiii. 33, 44. t Ibid. $ Numb. xxix. 35. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


43 


finished, and recommenced, and hence, it has been 
considered an occasion of joy, that we have been 
mercifully spared to witness its close, and begin it 
anew. Two members of the congregation are select¬ 
ed, and honored by being called to the minister’s 
side, during the reading of the concluding and begin¬ 
ning chapters, which has always been considered an 
honor and a privilege; the persons so selected gener¬ 
ally celebrating the event by social and festive gather¬ 
ings, to which their friends and the leading mem¬ 
bers of the congregation are mostly invited. 

HESHVAN. 

Nothing remarkable occurs during this month. 

KISLIVE. 

The twenty-fifth day of this month is the first day 
of Chanukah, Dedication, which continues for eight 
days, and was instituted 3622 a. m. There is no 
prohibition of labor thereon, it is merely a festal holy- 
day to celebrate the victory of the Maccabees, and 
the restoration and purification of the Temple. It is 
customary to burn commemorative lights in our homes 
and Synagogues during each evening of the festival, 
in remembrance of the miracle, that on regaining 
possession of the Temple, a flask of sacred oil which 


44 


THE JEWS. 


was found unpolluted, lasted for eight nights until 
fresh could be procured; which, under ordinary 
circumstances was only sufficient for once. The fol¬ 
lowing narrative will give a full description of the 
victory obtained by the small band of Maccabees, and 
the salvation and power of the Lord. 

When the Jews had returned to their own land 
after their captivity in Babylon, they seem to have 
obeyed the edicts of their Persian master in all tem¬ 
poral matters, and they subsequently submitted to 
other lords in the same manner. So long as they 
were allowed the free exercise of their religious rites, 
and could worship the God of Israel in the mode 
which He had appointed ; so long as Jehovah’s shrine 
was respected by the strangers who ruled them, and 
they could sacrifice undisturbed upon Jehovah’s altar, 
they endured gross tyranny with patience. Their 
prophets and leaders seem never to have encouraged 
them to rise in revolt on account of injustice or op¬ 
pression affecting merely their temporal well-being, 
so long as they were permitted to preserve tlicir dis¬ 
tinctive character in matters of religion, as God’s 
peculiar people, separated by Him from all the other 
nations in the world. But when the worship of Is¬ 
rael’s God was forbidden, when idols profaned His 
Temple, when unclean offerings defiled His altar, 
when dreadful tortures and a cruel death awaited all 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


45 


who refused to disown Him and disobey His law, then 
the Lion of Judah burst his bonds ; then the holy who 
were zealous for their God called the remnant of 
Judah to arm against Jehovah’s foes; and then the 
cause that was Jehovah’s met with His blessing. 

Antiochus Epiphanes had twice taken Jerusalem, 
had plundered the Temple, as many a conqueror had 
dene before him, had sacked the city, burned its pal¬ 
aces, slaughtered thousands of its inhabitants, and 
overthrown most of its defences; but if he had stop¬ 
ped here, he would have met with no strong organized 
opposition. He was not satisfied, however, with tyran¬ 
nizing over the persons and properties of his Jewish 
subjects, but their consciences and souls must also 
bow to his mandates. All who persisted in obeying 
the law delivered by Moses were subject to torture 
and death. Many were the apostates, but many also 
were the martyrs who “ were tortured, not accepting 
deliverance, that they might obtain a better resur¬ 
rection ; and others had trial of cruel mockings and 
scourgings.” 

Prominent among the steadfast ones was the ven¬ 
erable Eleazar, then ninety years old, a man of blame¬ 
less life, and one of the most illustrious doctors of the 
law. The flesh of swine was placed before him, and 
he was ordered to eat; it was even forced into his 
mouth, but he spat out the forbidden food, and said 


46 


THE JEWS. 


that if he who was on the verge of the grave was to 
fall away, the young and vigorous might be tempted 
to follow the example of one so old and honored. 
Eleazar was tortured to death, and died asserting in 
his last thanksgiving to his Maker, that his soul re¬ 
joiced in liis sufferings, because he feared God. After 
this, seven brothers and their mother were brought 
before Antiochus and commanded to abjure their re¬ 
ligion. On their refusal, the eldest was horribly 
mutilated, and then burnt to death before the eyes of 
his relatives upon red-hot brazen pans. The torments 
he suffered only strengthened the survivors in forti¬ 
tude and trust in God, and one by one they passed 
through the same fearful ordeal, exhorting each other 
to die courageously. When the youngest alone sur¬ 
vived, Antiochus tried to win him over from the faith 
of his forefathers by promises of wealth and power 
and royal favor; but when the youth rejected these 
tempting offers, the king called the bereaved mother, 
and desired her to use her influence to preserve the 
life of her only living child. She went up to him 
and spoke earnestly to him in their native tongue; 
but it was not to induce him to accept the tyrant’s 
offers that she pleaded lovingly with her child. She 
entreated him to look upon heaven and earth, and all 
the wonders they displayed, and then to consider that 
God had formed them all out of nothing, as well as 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


47 


man; then she besought him not to fear the execu¬ 
tioner, for that the God who had made all things, 
would, if he submitted cheerfully to death sooner than 
forsake the faith, restore him in the glory to come, to 
all those he loved and had lost. The youth then 
called aloud to the tyrant that he freely gave his body 
and life for the laws of his forefathers, following the 
example of his brethren, who had already entered into 
the eternal covenant. He then besought the Almighty 
to extend His mercy soon to Israel, so that the chas¬ 
tisements inflicted by God’s anger might end with his 
death and that of his brothers, and he implored the 
Creator to force Antiochus by judgments and plagues, 
to confess that the God of Israel was the one only 
God. The king’s fury now blazed out; the youth and 
his mother died with full confidence in God; but the 
martyr’s prayer was heard, and in answer to it a 
mighty deliverer was soon to arise. 

Mattathias, an old priest of the Asmonean family, 
dwelt with his five sons at Modin. Thither came 
Apelles, the officer of Antiochus, to tempt or force the 
Jews to sacrifice to strange gods. He made splen¬ 
did offers to Mattathias and his family; but, before 
the whole of the inhabitants of Modin, the aged ser¬ 
vant of God proclaimed aloud that if all the people 
of Israel should forsake their law, yet would he and 
his children forever serve the Lord. As .lie thus 


48 


THE JEWS. 


spoke out of God’s honor, he saw a Jew going up to 
sacrifice upon the heathen altar, and with a holy zeal 
he rushed upon and slew the apostate. Thus was 
raised the standard of Judah. Apelles and his sol¬ 
diers were slain, and Mattatliias and his followers 
sought refuge in the desert, whither fugitives from 
Jerusalem and elsewhere resorted to him in crowds. 
They were pursued by the governor of Jerusalem, who 
surprised a detachment in their desert hiding-place. 

The revolt spread, and Mattatliias was soon re¬ 
moved by death from the leadership; but ere he died, 
lie appointed his son Judas, surnamed Maccabeus, in 
his place. Apollonius, governor of Samaria, marched 
with an army of Macedonians and renegade Jews to 
crush the insurrection, but was defeated and slain. 
Another general, Seron, governor of Coelo-Syria, next 
marched south with very superior forces, which, how¬ 
ever, Judas completely routed, and their general lost 
his life. Antiochus now marched to collect his rev¬ 
enues in Persia, appointing Lysias viceroy of Syria in 
his absence, with orders to exterminate the Jews and 
their religion, and utterly destroy Jerusalem. Ptol¬ 
emy Macron, Nicanor, and Gorgias, with forty thou¬ 
sand infantry and seven thousand horse, invaded 
Judaea and camped near Emmaus, in the plain of 
Sharon, where renegade Jews joined the army in 
great numbers. Nicanor gave out that he would sell 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


49 


all the prisoners taken in the war at the rate of ninety 
for a talent, and as this was much below the usual 
price, slave merchants flocked to the camp. A thou¬ 
sand of the leading dealers in their fellow-creatures, 
with a host of servants and followers, are said to have 
been attracted to Emmaus by the Macedonian adver¬ 
tisement. The heroic band led by Judas amounted 
to only six thousand men, and with these he marched 
to Mizpeh, where God had been worshiped before 
the foundation of the Temple, to pray to Jehovah and 
implore His help. Mizpeh was chosen because the 
Temple was still in the hands of the heathen and the 
altar defiled, so that no Hebrew could worship there. 

Judas now made proclamation, according to law, 
that any who had that year built a house, married a 
wife, or planted a vineyard, might remain behind, as 
well as all who feared the foe.* Half his force melted 
away, and to the three thousand who remained he 
announced a battle for the morrow. That evening, 
however, he heard that Gorgias had been detached 
with six thousand chosen troops, led through byways 
by some apostate Jews, to surprise him in the night. 
Judas turned the enemy ? s stratagem against himself; 
for, raising his own camp, he marched against theirs, 
surprised them at daybreak, routed them, and pursued 
them with great slaughter. Then, turning back and 

* Deut. xx. 5, 8. 

3 


50 


THE JEWS. 


forbidding bis men to straggle or plunder, lie marched 
against Gorgias, whose troops, panic-stricken, threw 
down their arms and fled. The hostile camps yielded 
an immense booty to the followers of Judas, and the 
slave-dealers who had come there to buy the captive 
Jews were themselves, by a kind of retribution, taken 
prisoners and sold as slaves. The day after the battle 
was the Sabbath, and the Jews then offered up a sol¬ 
emn thanksgiving to God for the signal deliverance 
He had wrought for them. 

After this, Judas attacked and defeated two of the 
lieutenants of Antiochus, killing twenty thousand of 
their troops. Then Lysias himself, with an army of 
sixty-five thousand, marched to the southward of Je¬ 
rusalem and encamped at Bethsur, where he was de¬ 
feated by Judas with only ten thousand men. Judas 
now took Jerusalem, purified the Sanctuary from its 
defilement, dedicated it anew to God’s worship, and 
restored the sacrifice and oblation. An annual com¬ 
memoration of the day was appointed, and Christ 
himself honored the feast of the dedication, which is 
now observed as the Feast of Lights in Jewish Syna¬ 
gogues and homes. 


TIVICE. 

The tenth day of this month, called Arsoro-B’Ti- 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


51 


vice, is the fast of the tenth month, commemorative of 
the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar.* 

SHERVAT. 

Nothing of importance to record in this month. 

ADAR. 

The thirteenth day of this month is called the fast 
of Esther, in commemoration of her and the nation’s 
fasting, previous to her intercession with the king 
Ahasuerus, on behalf of her people. The wonderful 
deliverance of the Jewish nation from annihilation, 
is celebrated by the feast of Pureem, on the four¬ 
teenth and fifteenth of this month, as days of great 
joy and merrymaking. A better account of it cannot 
be given, than its entire history in the book of Esther, 
the events of which happened in the year 3404 a. m,, 
eight years after she became queen. It is a national 
feast, and one generally observed. Festivities are 
the order of the day, and gifts and tokens of friend¬ 
ship are exchanged, the poor not being forgotten. 
Many keep open house on those evenings, or hold 
large parties. It used to be a prevailing custom, 
and still exists to some extent, to visit from house 


* II. Kings, xxv. 1. 


52 


THE JEWS. 


to Louse, en masque and fancy dress, causing much 
merriment and joyousness. 

Many of the customs and ceremonies which have 
been narrated, and which will be described in the 
second part of this work, have either been modified 
or dispensed with, according to the various ideas of 
reform. The abolition of many of them, to my mind, 
has not been of any advantage, because when properly 
explained and understood, they contain meanings 
and lessons of good; but of course, to the ignorant 
and uninstructed are unintelligible. Thus the unedu¬ 
cated classes regard them as necessary religious 
observances, whilst they were only instituted and in¬ 
tended to convey symbolical instruction. The fault, 
therefore, was not their existence, but the want of a 
proper illustration, and the necessary education to 
understand and appreciate them. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


58 


PART II. 

TREATING OF THE ORDINARY PRAYERS AND SERVICES, 
AND PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CEREMONIALS. 

Before alluding specifically to the prayers and 
praises used for different occasions, extracts of which 
will be found in the Appendix, it may be proper to 
explain, that the thoughtful mind will at all times, 
and on every occasion, find an opportunity to praise 
the Lord for the many evidences of His mercy, bounty, 
and power. Dependent as we are, at every move¬ 
ment of our life and at every step we take, on His 
superintending Providence, the propriety, if not the 
necessity, should force itself upon us to acknowledge 
it, and in view of this fact there have been framed, in 
addition to ordinary orisons and public devotions, 
short'ejaculatory praises, similar to those in the Ap¬ 
pendix, for individual use on casual occurrences. 
Thus we are enabled to carry out the behest, “ And 
thou shalt speak of them, when thou sittest in thy 
house, and when thou goest on the way, and when 
thou liest down, and when thou gettest up.”* 


* Deut. vi. 7. 


54 


THE JEWS. 


The regular public services in the Synagogue 
ought to be held morning and evening daily, with 
extra ones on special occasions. 

Our first daily duty is to render thanksgiving and 
praise for having awakened and been spared to another 
* day; therefore, having washed the hands, our first ex¬ 
clamation is, “ I render thanks to Thee, Almighty God, 
for having spared me to life, in Thine abundant mercy.” 

The set prayers of the ritual are those for morn¬ 
ing, noon, and night. During the morning services it 
is customary to wear the Tollis, which is a kind of 
scarf, to the four corners of which are affixed Tsitsis 
or fringes. The pious Jew always wears across his 
shoulders a small garment of light fabric, to the cor¬ 
ners of which the Tsitsis are attached.* In former 
times, when they wore the Oriental dress, the Tsitsis 
were attached to the outer garment, but when they 
mixed with other nations, they substituted the gar¬ 
ment just alluded to, which is called Arbong-Kon- 
fouse, meaning four corners. The words, “ through¬ 
out thy generations,” show that the ordinance was to 
be binding perpetually. The custom, therefore, of 
wearing the Tollis during the service is desirable, 
so that at least during that time the command may 
be observed. They likewise wear during the ordi¬ 
nary morning prayers, the Tephillin, Phylacteries.t 


* Numb. xv. 37, 41. 


t Deut. vi. 8. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


55 


Women, and males under thirteen years old, are ex¬ 
empt from the use of Tsitsis and Tephillin. 

Entering the house or apartments of a Jew, there 
should be found on the upper part of the right-hand 
door-post a Mezoozoh. This is a small tube'contain- 
ing certain Hebrew verses, and on the outside of 
which is inscribed the word Shadai, which is one of 
the highest appellations of the Deity. This is ac¬ 
cording to the injunction, “ And thou shalt write 
them upon the door-posts of thy house, and of thy 
gates.”* This is another of the aids to religion. It 
is to remind us at coming in and going out, to act al¬ 
ways according to the Divine precepts, and to say, 
like David, “ I have set the Lord continually before 
me.” 

When Solomon built the Temple at Jerusalem, he 
erected at the porch or entrance two great pillars. 
These, it is said, were to remind the people of the 
two great pillars of cloud and fire, which accom¬ 
panied them throughout their wanderings in the wil¬ 
derness. They were likewise to remind the Israelites 
on going to and coming from Divine worship, of 
their miraculous deliverance from Egypt, and thus 
place the goodness and greatness of the Lord con¬ 
stantly before them; so that the continual remem¬ 
brance of Him might preserve them from the tempta- 


* Deut. vi. 9. 


56 


THE JEWS. 


tion to sin. The Mezoozoh should now fulfil that 
purpose. 

On removing into a new residence, and fixing the 
Mezoozoh, it is customary on the first evening to 
assemble Minyan, and hold the regular evening ser¬ 
vice, reciting a few appropriate psalms, and asking 
God’s blessing to attend us in our new abode, thus 
making our first act therein a religious one. 

Minyan means an assembly of ten males, over thir¬ 
teen years of age, who have been confirmed; without 
which, no public ceremony or worship is performed. 
We find that when Abraham prayed for the wicked 
men of Sodom and Gomorrah, that ten righteous ones 
were the lowest number for which he prayed the cities 
might be spared, and this is probably the reason why 
that is the lowest number which can form a congre¬ 
gation. 

With reference to the dietary laws, it must be 
stated, that the non-observance of them in any case, 
must only be regarded as individual deviations, not 
sanctioned by any authority, and that they are now 
equally binding as ever. A general description of 
the fish and animal food, which may or may not be 
eaten, is found twice in the Pentateuch.* In this re¬ 
spect, and as regards every religious ordination, sur¬ 
rounding circumstances must be regarded. Thus, if 

* Levit. xi. 1-30. Deut. xiv. 3-21. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


57 


a qualified physician orders, as a necessity , anything 
prohibited by Jewish law, or if the observance of any 
custom was likely to be injurious to health, it would 
be equally culpable to adhere to the law, as it would 
be under other circumstances to violate it. This is 
strictly a principle which must be observed, but not 
abused. We are neither required nor permitted to 
do anything injurious to life or health. 

The mode of slaughtering cattle for food is humane 
and painless. The throat of the animal is cut, and 
the windpipe and jugular veins severed at once , so 
that all blood flows freely. The knife used for the 
purpose, has a blade from nine to twelve inches long, 
and about an inch and a half wide. It must be 
smooth and keen to the highest degree, and before 
use, is subjected to the minutest examination that no 
flaw susceptible to the finest touch can be detected, 
which might tear the skin, and give the animal un¬ 
necessary pain. The blood having been exhausted, 
for Scripture enjoins “ thou shall not eat any blood,”* 
and “ the blood of the animal is the life thereof,” an 
examination is made of the lungs, liver, etc., and if 
they are found in a healthy condition, it is marked 
Kosher, which means fit for use, otherwise it must not 
be eaten. A qualified person, can with care easily 
detect the existence of disease however slight, or any 


3 


* Levit. xvii. 14. 


58 


THE JEWS. 


inward malformation or existence of pneumonia,which 
at once condemns it from being used for Jewish food. 
The Shochet, person appointed to kill, must be of 
good moral character, and religiously reliable ; must 
pass a proper examination, and have a diploma to 
act in that capacity, either from an authorized rabbi 
or an ecclesiastical board. 

BIRTH. 

When a child is born it is usually announced with 
the salutation of Mozzol-Towv, which is the ordinary 
congratulatory expression on all occasions of joy. It 
means “ good luck,” and expresses the wish, that the 
occasion, whatever it may be, may prove felicitous. 
Should it be a boy, preparations are made for the 
Beris-Melah. covenant of circumcision, to take place 
on the eighth day from birth unless the child is weak 
or unhealthy, in which case it must be postponed. 
This is the Abrahamic covenant, and without its per¬ 
formance, no male is counted as one of the Jewish 
community. It is a direct divine ordinance,* and was 
practised on Isaac by Abraham, at the appointed 
time.f Like all other religious ceremonials of joy, it 
is made a time of festivity, to which the friends of the 
family are invited. The ceremony is as follows : the 

* Gen. xvii. 9, 14. t Gen. xxi. 4. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


59 


child is brought to the door of the room by the god¬ 
mother, and received by the godfather, who hands it 
to the Mohel, operator, whilst those present, say, 
Borooch Hobbo Bershime Adonai, “ Blessed be he 
who comes in the name of the Lord.” 

The Mohel then invokes divine aid, and performs 
the operation, after which, he takes a glass of wine 
and says the sanctification. He then names the child, 
places his hand on its head, and blesses it, offering 
prayer that it may grow up a joy to its parents, and 
an honored member of the faith, returns it to the 
godfather, and the religious part of the ceremony is 
ended. The company are then mostly invited to a 
repast, and enjoyment follows. A female child is 
named in the Synagogue, later, generally when the 
mother is able to attend, to give thanks for her safe 
accouchement and recovery, that being her first duty 
when she is able to leave her home. 

With the first male issue from its mother, another 
ceremony is performed. It is called Pidyan Harben, 
redemption of the first born.* The ceremony is as 
follows. The friends being assembled, a Cowhine, 
one of the hereditary descendants of Aaron, who has 
been selected, accepts the child from its mother, as 
consecrated to God’s service. The father then ex¬ 
presses his desire to redeem him, and the Cowhine, 


* Ex. xiii. 2, 12, 15. 


60 


THE JEWS. 


priest, assenting, receives from the father a certain 
sum of money, representing the proper amount of 
Jewish shekels, which is mostly devoted to religious 
or charitable purposes, and the child being thus re¬ 
deemed, is returned to him by the Cowhine. There 
is a short ritual adapted to the occasion. 

CONFIRMATION. 

The next ceremony is when a boy is thirteen years 
of age. He then becomes Bar-Mitzvah, a son of the 
commandment, that is, he is confirmed in the Syna¬ 
gogue, and from that day is religiously responsible 
for his acts, as a member of the community. Previous 
to the occasion, he is specially prepared, by being in¬ 
structed in the articles of faith, and the duties and 
responsibilities which will thenceforth devolve upon 
him. If he is capable, he reads aloud from the Sifar- 
Towro, book of the law, the Pentateuchal lesson of 
the day, and the minister or rabbi suitably addresses 
him. 

The Sifar-Towro is a roll of parchment, on which 
is written in Hebrew the five books of Moses, several 
copies of which are possessed by every congregation, 
and are kept in the holy ark, situated in the East. 
The scrolls are on two rollers, and are enveloped in 
handsome and costly coverings, with silver or gold 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


61 


ornaments, according to the means of the congrega¬ 
tion, or the members who present or own them. 
They are considered very sacred, and treated with 
great reverence. A curtain hangs before the doors 
of the ark, emblematical of the veil which hung be¬ 
fore the Sanctuary in the Temple. In front of the 
ark, or in some conspicuous part of the Synagogue, 
a lamp is kept constantly burning, commemorative of 
the perpetual light which formerly burned in the 
Temple. 

Until late years, it was not the custom to confirm 
girls publicly, and Hebrew and religious instruction 
was either given in Jewish schools, or by private tui¬ 
tion when children attended Christian schools for their 
secular education. Of later years, since the establish¬ 
ment of Sabbath and Sunday schools for instruction 
to both sexes in catechism and scripture history, the 
custom has been introduced in some congregations, 
especially amongst the reformers, to hold a public 
confirmation of both boys and girls on the feast of 
Pentecost, that being considered an appropriate day, 
being the anniversary of the revelation at Sinai. 
The girls over twelve years of age, and the boys who 
have been Bar-Mitzvah during the year, are then 
publicly examined as to their religious knowledge, 
and confirmed en masse. 


62 


THE JEWS. 


MARRIAGE. 

The next ceremony to which we have to refer, is 
the betrothal. When a couple become engaged, the 
Ohoson, bridegroom, is generally specially called to 
the reading-desk at the reading of the law on the fol¬ 
lowing Sabbath, and the fact announced when his 
name is called. After service, he generally repairs 
to the dwelling of the Kolla, bride, where they hold 
a reception during the day to receive the congratu¬ 
lations of their friends. It is generally arranged at 
the time of the engagement, or soon afterward, when 
the wedding is to take place. From the eve previous 
to the marriage, until the ceremony, they do not see 
each other. 

The ceremonial is as follows: The fathers of the 
engaged couple, or their representatives, who are 
called Untereuehrers * fetch the groom, and the two 
mothers, or their representatives, bring the bride, 
and place her next to the groom under the Chupah, 
canopy, where the minister is waiting to receive 
them, and welcomes them by invoking God’s blessing 
on them. He then delivers a suitable address as to 
the requirements and responsibilities of married life, 
reminding them of its holy character and of the ob¬ 
ligations and duties which they jointly and relatively 

* This in German signifies “bringing'under." 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


63 


incur. A glass of wine is then handed to him, and 
he pronounces the sanctification and other blessings 
suitable to the occasion, and the contracting parties 
drink therefrom. The bridegroom then places the 
ring on the finger of the bride, saying: “ With this 
ring thou art sanctified to me, according to the laws of 
Moses and Israel,” The officiating minister then 
reads the Kesubah, marriage contract, which has 
previously been assented to by the bridegroom and 
signed by him, and attested by the minister and two 
witnesses, and of which the following is a translation•* 

“ On the-day of the week, on the-of the 

month of-, in the year-from the creation of 

the world, as we compute here at-I, A. B.,bache¬ 

lor* son of C. D., say to this damsel, E. F., spinster, 
daughter of G. H., be thou to me a wife, according 
to the laws of Moses and Israel, and I will cherish, 
nourish, maintain, sustain, and honor thee in accord, 
ance with the customs of Jewish husbands, and I 
will endow thee with a wedding portion, say, one 
hundred coins of silver, as specified by the rabbins as 
a marriage dowry, and I will maintain thee agreea¬ 
bly to the custom of all the world, and in the same 
manner as all married persons; and I will provide 
thee with raiment, lodging, bed, and food. And I, 


Describe condition of bride or groom as the case may be. 





64 


THE JEWS. 


the said A. B, do admit this to be a bond, and just 
certificate of marriage, solemnized between us; and 
I do undertake in the presence of God in heaven, to 
maintain and fulfil the said statement, as herein in¬ 
serted, and in this certificate described; and during 
my life, and at my death, T do give and bequeath thee 
a fair provision of my wealth and property; and I, 
the said A. B., do give to thee E. F., daughter of G. 
H., this, as a true bond, and I will maintain it in its 
true sense, and do now testify to the correctness 
thereof.” 

A second glass of wine is then handed to the min¬ 
ister, who pronounces further benedictions, and the 
newly-married couple having drank therefrom, the 
bridegroom shatters the glass with his foot into frag¬ 
ments, and the ceremony is concluded. 

Amongst most reformers the use of the canopy, 
Kesubah, and breaking the glass is abolished. 

An explanation regarding the foregoing ceremonies 
will be found in the Appendix, in an extract from 
an address delivered by the author at a marriage 
ceremony. 


DIVORCE. 

Ghet, divorce, is only granted on proof of satisfac¬ 
tory and sufficient cause, and by a proper ecclesias- 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


65 


tical coart, consisting of a duly authorized and cer¬ 
tificated rabbi, with three assistants as a Beth-Din. 
Every detail of law must be scrupulously observed. 
It is of no effect until the decree, properly signed and 
authenticated, is placed in the hands of the divorced 
woman* either by the husband or his delegate, who 
has received it from him for that purpose. Divorce 
according to civil law is not recognized in a religious 
point of view, until the Jewish ceremony has been 
performed, inasmuch as the marriage having been 
performed as a religious ceremony, can only be an¬ 
nulled accordingly. Therefore, persons married ac¬ 
cording to Jewish law, and afterward divorced by 
civil law, cannot again marry as Jews until ecclesi¬ 
astically divorced. Happily, the event amongst us 
is a rare one. In no case can a divorce be granted 
to a man, who has betrayed a woman previous to 
marriage.! 


DEATH. 

In cases of sickness, even if there should not be 
imminent or immediate danger, the mind should be 
directed heavenward, and with due submission, prayer 
should be offered to Him, without whose aid human 
skill can avail naught. 


* Deut. xxiv. 1. 


t Deut. xxii. 29. 


66 


THE JEWS. 


When it assumes a serious character, and a fatal 
result may be apprehended, the patient, with due care 
not to cause alarm which might have a serious effect, 
should be gradually prepared to resign his soul to 
Him who gave it. First in order, is a general con¬ 
fession of sin, and supplication for pardon; next, 
prayer for mercy and recovery; and finally, submis¬ 
sive resignation, with the expression, “ Into Thy hands 
do I commit my spirit; Thou redeemestme, 0 Lord ! 
God of truth.” As the end approaches, the dying 
person and those around him, or if he is unable they 
alone, end his career with the declaration, “ Shermong 
Yisroile, Adonai Elohinoo, Adonai Achod.” 
“ Hear, 0 Israel, the Lord our God, the Eternal, is a 
Unity,” * which is the dying exclamation of every 
Jew. So soon as it is certain that death has taken 
place, the face of the deceased is covered, as it is con¬ 
sidered disrespectful to submit it to public and un¬ 
necessary gaze. 

The funeral generally takes place within one or 
two days after death, as it is considered improper to 
keep the body disinterred beyond that time. For 
one hour after death, the body must not be disturbed. 
After that time it is laid on the floor and covered 
witli a cloth, and from the time of its expiration un¬ 
til its burial, it is never left without the guardianship 


* Deut. vi. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


67 


of two persons to watch and protect it. As shortly 
as possible before the funeral, except in cases where 
it is necessary earlier, the Tahara, washing or puri¬ 
fication, takes place, and the performance of this and 
all other offices to the dead, are looked upon as acts 
of mercy and kindness which it is a privilege to per¬ 
form. It is generally done by volunteers and persons 
who deem it a religious duty, even to those with whom 
they have not been acquainted during life. 

Five or six persons generally take part in it, so 
that no accident may occur. The Tahara having 
been completed according to the prescribed form, the 
body is shrouded and placed in the coffin, with all that 
has been a part of it during life-time. The shrouds are 
plain vestments of calico or linen, and all costliness 
or extravagance is dispensed with. The coffin is also 
to be plain and without ornamentation; and feathers, 
trappings, or display of any kind is contrary to or¬ 
thodox custom or law. The propriety of this will 
readily be observed. Death levels all distinctions; 
the poor and the rich are then in every way alike, 
and entitled to the same respect, so that all unneces : 
sary differences should be avoided. The expense in¬ 
curred for costly funerals is often a serious matter to 
the bereaved, to whose grief is added pecuniary em¬ 
barrassment, without benefit to the dead. When all 
is ready, the wife or husband, parents, children, and 


68 


THE JEWS. 


brothers and sisters of the deceased, are permitted to 
take a last view of the departed, on doing which it is a 
custom to make a slight rent in the breast of their gar¬ 
ment, indicative of grief, and to say at the same time, 
“ Borooch Dayan Hoamas,” “ Blessed be Thou, 0 
Judge of truth,” signifying our acquiescence and sub¬ 
mission to His decrees. The body is then conveyed 
to the cemetery, at the entrance of which, the officiat¬ 
ing clergyman reads as follows: “ 0 Rock ! all of 
whose ways are perfect and just; faithful, righteous, 
and just God, perfect in every work, who dare 
question Thy action ? Thou who rulest on high and 
and below, who bringest down to the grave, and 
raisest up again. Rock of all ages ! who shall pre¬ 
sume to question Thy doings ? Righteous and Supreme 
Judge! who art slow to anger, and of abundant 
mercy, have pity and compassion on parents and chil¬ 
dren, for to Thee, 0 Lord, belongs pardon and forgive¬ 
ness. What profiteth a man, should he live a thou¬ 
sand years, it would be as though he had never exist¬ 
ed. Blessed art Thou, 0 Judge of truth, who giveth 
life hereafter, who viewetli all things, and rendereth 
to man according to his doings. We know, 0 Lord, 
that Thy judgments are just, and that we should not 
murmur at Thy decrees, for all Thy ways are justice 
and truth. The soul of every creature is in Thy 
hands, have pity we pray Thee, on the remnant of 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


69 


Thy flock, and say to the destroying angel, ‘ Stay 
thine hand/ ‘ The Lord has given, and the Lord 
has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. 
May He who is most merciful pardon iniquity, and 
let mercy prevail in place of wrath/” The coffin is 
then deposited in the grave, the bystanders saying, 
“ May he (or she) repose in peace.” The near rela¬ 
tives and friends, then in succession put earth into 
the grave, the 91st psalm is recited, and the mourners 
return to their homes. At this point, I am reminded 
of the following excellent parable, related in the Me- 
drash. A man had three friends whom he held in 
different degrees of estimation. To one he was de¬ 
voted in the highest degree, in fact he almost wor¬ 
shiped him, and considered him nearly as necessary 
to happiness as life itself. To the second he was 
greatly attached, but in a little less degree than the 
former; whilst the third, who was poor and not popu¬ 
lar, he patronized occasionally as a matter of polite¬ 
ness, but without that cordiality which sincere friend¬ 
ship calls for. One day being summoned before the 
emperor, for some fault, and afraid to go alone, he 
sent for his first friend and asked him to accompany 
him, but he made some excuse, and said he could on 
no account do so. He then sent to the next one, who 
consented to go with him to the entrance of the court, 
but no further. As a last resource, he sent for the 


70 


THE JEWS. 


least favored one, acknowledged his neglect and want 
of attention toward him, begging him at the same 
time to overlook it, and help him in his trouble. To 
his great joy and surprise, his neglected friend assur¬ 
ed him of his forgiveness, and went with him to the 
emperor ; and by his intercession and pleading ob¬ 
tained pardon of his fault. So it is with us when we 
are summoned to appear before our Maker. Our 
first friend whom we have so fondly cherished, 
namely our wealth and worldly possessions, cannot 
accompany us at all; the next one, our relatives and 
fellow-beings go with us to the grave but no further; 
but the poor neglected one during our life-time, our 
religion and good actions, go with us into the presence 
of our heavenly Judge, an d intercede, and obtain favor 
in our behalf. Therefore, have our sages taught, 
“ Prepare thyself in the antechamber that thou may- 
est enter the palace/’ and further, “ Repent one day 
before thou diest,” which means, that being uncer¬ 
tain of that day, we should strive to be always ready. 

The mourners on returning home, commence to 
observe what is called Shivah. Shivah means seven, 
and alludes to the seven days of mourning which are 
observed for parents, children, sisters or brothers, 
husband or wife. During the Shivah, the mourner 
does not leave the house nor attend to ordinary avoca¬ 
tions, unless the neglect of so doing would incur ir- 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


71 


reparable loss, and cannot be performed by another. 
Minyan assembles at the house morning and evening 
for the regular prayers, after which the 49th Psalm 
is recited, and a prayer offered for the repose of the 
deceased. It is also made the occasion for almsgiv¬ 
ing and deeds of benevolence. The mourners are 
seldom alone, their friends paying visits of condolence, 
and sitting with them. The Shivah probably origi¬ 
nates from the mourning instituted by Joseph for 
his father Jacob/* when he went up from Egypt to 
bury him. Following the Shivah,. and inclusive of 
it, there is observed a general mourning of thirty days 
for any of the above relatives, during which time, the 
Oval, mourner, refrains from pleasures or festivities 
of any kind, and in various ways marks his or her 
grief. This probably originates from the mourning 
observed by the Israelites at the death of Moses.t 
For a parent, the term of mourning is extended to 
a year, during which time not the slightest enjoy¬ 
ment is indulged in. During the year of mourning 
for a parent, the sons attend every service in the 
Synagogue, and recite aloud the Koddish. 

The Koddish is generally supposed to be a prayer 
in behalf of the dead, but its import is frequently 
misunderstood. The meaning is this: It is a eulo- 
gium of the Deity in the most exalted degree. Our 


* Gen. 1. 10. 


t Deut. xxxiv. 8. 


72 


THE JEWS. 


Rabbonim have taught the maxim, that as we bless 
God for the good He bestows upon us, so we should 
likewise bless Him, when He sees fit to afflict us. 
The loss of a parent is looked upon as one of the 
greatest calamities, for we may have another child, 
husband, or wife, but we can never have another 
loving mother, or fond father, whose anxieties and 
care it is impossible to repay. Hence the affliction 
is heavy and the bereavement deeply felt. In our deep 
grief, then, we must not arraign the justice of an all¬ 
wise God, but show humble submission to the will 
of Him “ Who doeth all things aright/ 7 and be ready 
to praise and glorify His great name, even when He 
sees fit to chastise us. Thus when we recite the 
Koddish, we, to a certain extent, exalt the memory 
of good and pious parents, who have instilled into us 
the principles of virtue and religion, and who have 
taught us to look up unto Him in every emergency; 
and in this manner, coupled with good deeds, we pay 
to their memory the highest tribute of respect in our 
power. 

Yahr-zeit, meaning in German a year’s time, is 
the word used to designate the anniversary of the 
death of a parent, on which occasion it is customary 
to visit the Synagogue, recite the Koddish, and per¬ 
form acts of charity in memory of the deceased, and 
this custom is almost universal. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


73 


A large number of the customs and observances 
herein narrated, are rabbinical ordinations, instituted 
since the days, and partly during the times of Hillel 
and Shamai. For centuries they have been held in 
veneration, and considered as binding as the precepts 
of the written law. They were compiled into a vol¬ 
ume, called Shulchan-Orooch, which means an ar¬ 
ranged table, and have been the general guide and 
standard of all Jewish communities. It is only 
since the introduction of reform that they have been 
publicly infringed upon, the thoroughly orthodox of the 
present day still regarding them as binding. The 
reformers, however, claim that with altered times and 
circumstances they have the right to modify or abro¬ 
gate them to suit the present age, or rather, their ow r n 
convenience. How far they are justified in so doing, 
it is not my province in this work to discuss, but it 
certainly seems desirable, and I might say absolutely 
necessary, in the interests of Judaism, if a change is 
to be made, that a general synod, or convention of 
duly authorized Rabbonim should be held, and a code 
of laws be approved or amended for general adop¬ 
tion, instead of individual ministers and congrega¬ 
tions of laymen, making or abolishing regulations 
according to their individual tastes, ideas, or con¬ 
venience. 


4 


74 


THE JEWS. 


APPEN DIX. 


Extract from a sermon delivered in the Berkley 
Street Synagogue, October 19th, 1878, by the Rev. 
Professor I). W. Marks. 


“ To the end that all the peoples of the earth may know that Adonai 
is the God and that there is none other.”—I. Kings, viii. 60. 

No passage in the whole range of Scripture ought 
to be more familiar to us than the text just quoted. 
It is rehearsed to us every Sabbath and festive day, 
and it has a prominent place in our especial Taber¬ 
nacle ritual. Independently of the great truth which 
it propounds of the absolute unity of the Godhead, 
the entire passage serves as a key to the scheme of 
Divine revelation and to the remarkable and excep¬ 
tional manner in which Almighty Providence has 
dealt with the Hebrew race. If we go back to the 
earliest age, we shall find that the end designated in 
the text was declared when God called Abraham to 
his preceptive mission. It is the theme on which 
Moses dwells with singular emphasis: it is taken up 
by Isaiah in his prophetic vision of the time when 
the Hebrew sanctuary shall be recognized as the 





CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


75 


D'syn 1^1 nSan no (house of prayer of all nations), 
and also by Cephaniah,who predicts a common univer¬ 
sal worship. But nowhere is it set forth in brighter 
colors than in the magnificent prayer of Solomon 
in the text chapter. From time immemorial this un¬ 
rivalled upswelling of prayer has found a place in the 
m3D service, and for very sufficient reasons. Dur¬ 
ing the Septennary mao the Book of Deuteronomy 
was read out publicly to men, women, and children, 
and that was the fitting time to recite to them also a 
prayer, which, while it gives prominence to the one 
great feature of Israel's mission, portrays by one and 
the same touch the immeasurable distance and the 
immediate proximity of the invisible and incompre¬ 
hensible Lord, abiding in the sanctuary, listening 
with a father's complacency to the petitions of His 
children, and yearning to answer them with the ful¬ 
ness of peace and hope. 

How little acquainted are those with the spirit of 
the Hebrew Scriptures who speak of the Jehovah re¬ 
vealed through Moses as a National God! Was 
Abraham called for the exclusive benefit of his own 
race ? Assuredly not, but, as the Scripture testifies 
that “ through Him and His posterity all humanity 
might be blessed." Again, was Solomon's Temple 
raised for the sole spiritual advantage of Israel ? 
Assuredly not. The enlightened Hebrew monarch, 


76 


THE JEWS. 


imbued with a sense of the universal Lord and of the 
common brotherhood of man, declares the Temple 
open to all, and implores the Almighty to receive and 
to grant the prayer of every honest-minded non-Is¬ 
raelite who might come thither to commune with the 
Father of all. And here, not only is the tolerant 
spirit of Judaism made manifest, but the very object 
of Israel's mission is placed in the foreground of the 
text, that “ all humanity may be brought to acknowl¬ 
edge that Adonai is the God." 

True it is that the Pentateuch frames severe and 
repressive laws against certain idolatrous practices; 
but these laws are not levelled against opinion or be¬ 
lief, but against the ineffable horrors which such 
practices involved. Apart from this, Mosaism linked 
itself with universal charity and tolerance. Follow 
the course of Hebrew history and you will notice im¬ 
portant modifications in ritual precepts and in social 
economy, but you will find no change in the exercise 
of the principle of toleration. One of the last utter¬ 
ances of prophecy by Malaclii before he places on it 
the seal, is in the form of an admonition to his people 
to remember that “ mankind has one common Father 
and that One God is the Creator of us all." 

That the prediction of the text will ultimately be 
accomplished, and that it will be wrought out by the 
instrumentality of the house of Israel, are proposi- 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


77 


tions that have a solid basis in the utterances of every 
prophetic age. How and when it will be brought 
about we leave the direction to superhuman agency. 
Meanwhile it is for us to act to all without our own 
pale, in the fulness of Malachi’s prophetic words. Be¬ 
cause there is a common brotherhood of man and a 
common sentiment of dependence on the One universal 
Father , toe ivlio give expression to that sentiment in 
our Synagogue , must not ignore those who give vent to 
it in their churches and chapels; and strongly attached 
as we may be to our own creed , we have no right to 
assume that our perceptions of spiritual truth are in¬ 
fallibly right and those of others radically ivrong. 
Until the climax predicted in the text be reached, 
differences will and must prevail in modes and forms 
of worship, as on all speculative opinions. Nor 
should those varying opinions or forms of worship 
cause us any perplexity. They should rather move 
us, like Solomon, to revere the supernal goodness of 
the Father of all, that distinguishes between errors of 
the head and the honest promptings of the heart, as 
Solomon saith, “ Thou alone knowest the hearts of 
all mankind/’ 

But while our pure biblical teaching ought to keep 
us free from all sectarian bias and prejudice, it would 
be a gross abuse of it to act on the rash conclusion 
that it is a matter of comparative indifference to 


78 


THE JEWS. 


which religious community we belong. In this re¬ 
spect our guides must be conscience, a sense of truth, 
and the meaning which our reasoning powers enable 
us to bring out of God’s revealed word. I can find 
no Scriptural grounds for such frigid latitudinarian- 
ism. The Bible does not absolve us Israelites from 
any Mosaic precept except those which were local 
and related to the automatic national and political 
government of Palestine. But it reminds us again 
and again that we are to work out the prediction of 
the text, not by violence or coercion, and not through 
any organized propaganda; but by making our faith 
and our ritual respected from without, by means of 
our own consistent piety and our decorous worship. 

It may not be out of place, after nearly four de¬ 
cades have past since the establishment of our con¬ 
gregation, to tell those whose memory cannot travel 
back so far, that these genuine scriptural aims con¬ 
stituted the soil out of which the West London Syna¬ 
gogue sprang into life; and that not a feverish crav¬ 
ing for change, but a desire to preserve Israel’s old 
heritage intact and to bring the ritual worship more 
in harmony with Israel’s mission, were the motives 
that led some earnest and thoughtful men (few of 
whom are now left) to undertake the difficult and, 
what at one time seemed, a hopeless task. It is well 
that those who are young and who have imbibed the 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


79 


enlightenment of the present age, do not remember 
the Synagogue as it was forty years ago. The Jews 
of that time were not less devout than we are ; in 
many respects they were more earnest and observant; 
but the public worship was neither calculated to im¬ 
press its votaries, nor to gain respect from without. 
It was then just what it had been in the thirteenth 
century when Europe had scarcely emerged from 
barbarism, with its voluminous prayer-book, over¬ 
laden with accumulations from the Mishnah, the rhap¬ 
sodies of hymnologists, and collections of private sup¬ 
plications never intended for public service. Besides 
which, the barbarous treatment of the Jews from the 
age of Constantine to that of the Crusades had pro¬ 
duced vast accretions of “ Selichoth,” “ Kinoth,” and 
“ Bakashoth,” portraying Israel’s sufferings and mar¬ 
tyrdom in the darkest colors, and invoking, in the 
bitterness of anguish, retributive vengeance on the 
merciless persecutor. In the whole of this metrop¬ 
olis, the pulpit, which had been the creation and the 
glory of the ancient Synagogue, had not a single abid¬ 
ing-place, and the services were spun out as in the 
Middle Ages, when Jews were well content to spend 
three-fourths of the day in the Synagogue, which was 
their only asylum from violence and outrage. Mean¬ 
while the second quarter of the present century had 
proved to the Jews of Britain what the Renaissance 


80 


THE JEWS. 


of the fifteenth century had been to the Continent. 
It bore on its wing the cultivation of more humane 
sentiment, the softening of prejudice, tolerant legis¬ 
lation, and an unsectarian university, where Jewish 
youth could follow the course of the humanities side 
by side with their Christian fellows. The result 
was that in a few years there arose young men differ¬ 
ent in culture, habit, and thought, to whom the pre¬ 
vailing worship of the Synagogue imparted no edifi¬ 
cation, and in whom it inspired no reverence. It 
was as impossible to check the development of edu¬ 
cated thought as it was to satisfy the inquiring mind, 
how it was, that while social, intellectual, and politi¬ 
cal life was progressively growing brighter, the Syna¬ 
gogue still continued draped in mourning and de¬ 
spair. 

It was for the men then invested with such eccle¬ 
siastical authority as historical Judaism prescribed, 
to take these things to heart, and to incline a willing 
ear to the entreaties of those who petitioned for 
beneficial changes, if on no other ground, at least, 
of preserving to their children their ancient heri¬ 
tage. But whether those authorities did not, or 
would not, see what was passing beyond the con¬ 
fines of their own narrow horizon, they not only 
would sanction no change, but they declared that any 
change in the existing state of things was impossible. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


81 


Be it far from me, and more especially in the sacred 
place where I am speaking, to assail their declara¬ 
tion and determination with a single word of con¬ 
tumely or angry controversy. No, it becomes thought¬ 
ful men to bear with patience and philosophy those 
prejudices which are entwined with old and hallowed 
associations. Left to ourselves, we began and com¬ 
pleted our work in a spirit of reverence, and we pre¬ 
sumed not to put our hand on anything except what 
lay outside the sacred volume of the Scriptures. 

Our object was not only to adapt our public ritual 
practices to altered times and circumstances, and to 
make them keep pace with the progressive move¬ 
ments of our race; but also to revive the sentiment 
of spiritualness among us, to make our worship felt 
within and respected without, and to bring us more 
and more into harmony with our mission, which is, to 
labor through our pious conduct and public example 
for the great end for which God set us apart as a 
sacerdotal race, that in the process of time we might 
bring all mankind to the knowledge of the text truth 
“ that Adonai is the Divine Power and that there is 
none other.” 

I have thought it needful to mention these things 
after periodical intervals, because every succeeding de¬ 
cade finds among us children grown into manhood and 

womanhood, as well as many new members of the 
4* 


82 


THE JEWS. 


congregation, to whom it is meet that they should be 
rehearsed. Many outsiders speak of our Temple of 
Prayer as the “ Reform ” Synagogue. But if they 
would imply by that epithet that it is established for 
purely negative objects, to rid our prayer-books of 
some scores of pages and to ease ourselves of the bur¬ 
den of the rabbinically imposed duplicate festival, or 
if they suppose that “ Reform ” with us means what 
it does in some congregations of Germany and Amer¬ 
ica, where many of the old biblical landmarks have 
been removed by rash hands, they are in great error, 
and they do, uuconsciously perhaps, foul injustice to 
the founders of this Synagogue and to its ministers. 
No, this Synagogue is established for those who have 
shaken off their apathy and indifference for things 
spiritual and feel the want of a worship which, while 
it satisfies the reason, may also make its way to the 
heart; for those who, while keeping their children up 
to the highest intellectual platform of the age, desire 
them to recognize in their public place of worship 
something that goes hand-in-hand with their mental 
culture; for those who cherish Judaism as a vital prin¬ 
ciple and do not reduce it to a mere formal profes¬ 
sion ; for those who, while they feel the influence of 
the Divine worship within, are sensitive about the 
impressions it creates on non-Israelites ivithout, and 
the respect it commands for them; finally, for those 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


83 


who feel that they have a great preceptive mission 
to accomplish, and which is to be worked out by per¬ 
sonal conduct and example, a mission, in fact, of 
which the text passage reminds us, when it plainly sets 
forth the Divine purpose, that by Israel, and through 
Israel, the capital object of revelation shall ultimately 
be worked out, “ that all the peoples of the earth 
may know that Adonai is the Divine Power, and that 
there is none besides Him.” 


Extract from a sermon delivered at Montreal, Feb¬ 
ruary 24th, 1872, by the Rev. E. M. Myers. 

The portion of the Pentateuch with which we com¬ 
menced the lesson of to-day may at first sight appear 
of an ordinary character, and one of no especial bear¬ 
ing; but, if we take the trouble to examine a little 
below the surface, and to spiritualize its meaning, we 
shall find food for deep and profitable reflection. 

There can be no doubt in a reflective and medita¬ 
tive mind that the laws and ordinances given by our 
Great Creator are adapted for all times, seasons, and 
countries; and that, although it may not be always 
possible in every age to fulfil them according to their 
written character, we shall find on a proper examina¬ 
tion of them, that, when we cannot carry them out 



84 


THE JEWS. 


on their first apparent meaning, they are capable of 
being interpreted as typical of higher duties, and con¬ 
vey greater significance even than their exact words 
seem to imply. 

We have first to assume a belief that the Law now 
in our possession is of divine origin, and the same ag 
handed down to us by our great Lawgiver. That 
different versions of it may, and indeed must of ne¬ 
cessity contain errors of translation, there is no doubt: 
but it has so faithfully and carefully been handed 
down from Moses to Joshua, and to their successors 
in its present written form, which we retain in our 
Synagogues to this day, and which is still recognized 
as divinely inspired, even by those who lay no claim 
to orthodoxy, that but few will attempt to impeach 
its correctness. Indeed, this belief forms one of our 
leading articles of Faith, and is thus expressed in the 
8th creed: 

“ I believe with an entire faith, that all the law 
which is at present in our possession, is the same 
which was given to Moses, our instructor, peace be 
to his memory.” 

There are, of course, skeptics in every age and in 
all communities, who will cavil and take exception to 
everything which does not suit their exact ideas; 
and, therefore, from these we cannot expect acquies¬ 
cence in the foregoing remarks; but our object to- 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


85 


day is not to argue this point, for that must be a sub¬ 
ject of itself, but to show that all the commandments 
in the Bible have a deep and significant meaning, and 
that if they cannot be carried out in their literal 
sense, they may be so spiritualized as to make them 
capable of fulfilment in our ordinary walks of life. 

There are very many commandments which were 
applicable to former times, and observable when we 
were a separate nation, which, in our present condi¬ 
tion, are impossible to be observed; and, therefore, 
we can only make use of them as I have already said, 
by applying to them a different meaning than that ex¬ 
pressed upon their face. The Jewish nation, when 
the law was first given, had but recently been deliv¬ 
ered from a condition of abject slavery, and their 
mental faculties and ideas were not fitted for such 
instruction as could be given them when they had be¬ 
come more enlightened and educated. It was there¬ 
fore necessary that many things had to be conveyed 
to their minds in such a manner as was suited to their 
capacities at that time, and, as our sages have re¬ 
marked, “in language best suited to their under¬ 
standing.” 

When we consider the high authority whence ema¬ 
nated the laws and ordinances in reference to the 
tabernacle and its holy worship, when we reflect that 
it was the wisdom of God which ordained them, we 


86 


THE JEWS. 


cannot for a moment doubt that every ornament, dec¬ 
oration, and arrangement of it, contained symbolical 
and emblematical significations, which the Divine 
Legislator, no doubt, at the time fully explained to 
the people, but which in our dispersion have not been 
preserved. T wish, however, to be distinctly under¬ 
stood that, whilst I hold it to be perfectly justifiable 
to typify and symbolize such precepts as cannot at 
present be observed, I in no way impugn their first 
and original meaning, that being the foundation from 
which our instruction is derived. Having premised 
thus much, I will now call your attention to the first 
two verses of the portion of the lesson of to-day, in 
the following words: 

“And thou shalt command the children of Israel 
that they shall take unto thee pure olive oil, beaten 
for the light, to cause the lamp to burn perpetually. 
In the tabernacle of the congregation without the 
veil, shall Aaron and his sons arrange it from evening 
until morning before the Lord; it shall be a statute 
forever to their generations, on behalf of the children 
of Israel.”—Ex. xxvii. 20, 21. 

First, we find it ordered that the oil is to be per¬ 
fectly natural, derived from nature’s source, extracted 
from the delicious olive fruit, pure and unadulterated. 
Secondly, it is to be “ prepared or beaten for the 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


87 


light,” in order, thirdly, “ to cause the lamp to burn 
perpetually.” 

First, it was to be pure olive oil; not a manufac¬ 
tured article produced or taken from any cattle or 
animal, or any being subject to disease or animal pas¬ 
sions ; but in its very growth it was to be pure and 
unadulterated, the very essence of nature, and free 
from all noxious ingredients. Thus must we derive 
the foundation and much of our religious instruction 
from the pages of that natural tree, the foundation of 
all life, light, and wisdom, and of which we, the 
chosen people of God, have been made the depositary. 
It is there we shall find embodied those beautiful pre¬ 
cepts which form the basis of all moral and social 
laws. It is thence we can learn the guide and rules 
for our moral conduct, and be instructed in those re¬ 
sponsible duties which we owe to our God, our neigh¬ 
bor, and ourselves. It is there we shall find all the 
commandments of the Lord, which, like the oil used 
in the tabernacle, are purity and light, as expressed 
in the 19th Psalm, “ The commandments of the Lord 
are pure, giving light to the eyes.” 

As the olive oil was extracted from the fruit, pure 
and unmixed, so must we draw from that pure and 
holy source the instruction to guide and teach us, and 
which is the oil which will cause our lamp to burn 


88 


THE JEWS. 


bright and undimmed, not only during our existence 
here below, but in life hereafter. 

But we must be careful that we draw it like the 
oil, “ pure,” without any of those deleterious sub¬ 
stances with which many adulterate it, and retail it to 
those who from their ignorance of its qualities and 
inability to test its genuineness, are frequently de¬ 
ceived with a spurious article, and think that the price 
paid for it must insure them against fraud. My 
friends, I am induced to make these remarks, because 
unfortunately of late years, especially in America, 
men have enlisted in the ministry who are not faith¬ 
ful shepherds. Whilst I do not include all who have 
swerved from orthodoxy, for doubtless there are some 
who are honest in their opinions, I speak advisedly 
when I say that there are unfortunately many others, 
who, from interested motives and for worldly consid¬ 
erations, pander to the wishes of those of their con¬ 
gregation (if they be wealthy) who desire their re¬ 
ligion to be suited to their convenience, rather than 
make their duties subservient to their religious obli¬ 
gations. These leaders, my friends, call themselves 
reformers, but never was there a greater misnomer. 
The term to be applied to them is seceders, or aboli¬ 
tionists. They wish to set aside all that is Jewish, 
all that is distinctive of us as a nation, all that we 
have prided ourselves in observing through ages of 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


89 


trouble and persecution. Had they contented them¬ 
selves by attacking only our Rabbinical institutions, 
“ I would have been silent;” but such has not been 
sufficient for them; they have in their presumption 
attempted to set aside those laws which have been 
given to us, “ not through the medium of a messenger, 
but by Almighty God Himself;” commandments of 
which He has said, “ between Me and the children of 
Israel it is an everlasting covenant.” These they 
would set aside as naught. They are imitators of 
the Greek tyrant who wished to abolish the Sabbath 
and circumcision, two of our fundamental principles. 
They boldly tell you that these things are no longer 
required from you, that, if the observance of the Sab¬ 
bath (God’s earliest institution) interferes with your 
business, you are at liberty to disregard it, and, if 
you please, substitute some other day; that you are 
no longer required to abstain from forbidden food, 
that you may intermarry with other creeds; in short, 
that your religion is not intended to, nor need in any 
way interfere with your inclinations, comfort, or con¬ 
venience. I did not intend to introduce these last 
few remarks in my discourse to-day, as they will form 
a subject for future consideration, but they have 
forced themselves upon me in connection with the 
symbolic meaning of our text: and, having once re¬ 
ferred to them, I will say further, that whilst the 


90 


THE JEWS. 


leaders are mainly responsible, the evil lies somewhat 
with the congregations themselves, who, because the 
candidate for the post of minister (often a late ar¬ 
rival) happens to possess the ability to please them 
in secondary qualifications, elect him to his responsi¬ 
ble office without' sufficient scrutiny. We must be 
careful that the instruction which we draw must be 
like the olive oil, pure and unadulterated—not drawn 
through an unclean tap whereby it becomes unfit to 
burn in the holy lamp. 

Secondly,—we find that the oil even pure as it was, 
had further to be “ prepared or beaten for the light.” 
Even in its original state, it must be clarified and 
specially prepared for the light. So even must our 
Pentateuch, pure as it is in its every part, be pre¬ 
pared by proper hands, that the light it imparts to 
the branches which are illumined by it, may be bril¬ 
liant and bright. There are many parts of it which 
require a careful and faithful exposition, and it is the 
sacred duty of those whose high mission it is to ex¬ 
pound it, to take care that it is “ beaten for the light.” 
—“ The law of God is perfect, refreshing the soul.” 
Like the olive oil which caused the lamp to burn in 
all its brilliancy, so is our blessed law the oil which 
imparts light to our lamp, that it may burn clear and 
effulgent. 

Thirdly,—the principles and laws therein contain- 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


91 


ed are sublime and perfect, and are inexhaustible and 
all sufficient, if beaten for the light, “ to cause the lamp 
to burn perpetually.” It is only when they are adul¬ 
terated, and when their true meaning is perverted, 
that the light becomes dim or extinguished. The 
lamp of the tabernacle no longer exists in its original 
form, but, my friends, in a different shape it exists in 
the breast of each of you. “ The lamp of the Lord 
is the soul of man,” and can never be extinguished 
except by your own neglect to trim it. 

We have now to consider,—What is this perpetual 
light? Some of you may ask why do we at the pres¬ 
ent day burn a perpetual light in our Synagogues 
since we have no longer a Tabernacle. My friends, 
we have both a Sanctuary and a Tabernacle. Our 
house of prayer should be our Tabernacle, where we 
may offer our prayers and our petitions to the Most 
High, but our Sanctuary must be that little spot 
within our breast, to which we may at all times safely 
appeal as to our right or wrong actions. But we 
must not suppose that it requires no effort, no train¬ 
ing, no inclination on our part, to make ready this 
Sanctuary for that blessed and immortal spirit which 
is to rest there. I refer you to the 9th verse of the 
25th chapter of Exodus, where G-od has said, “ And 
they shall prepare me a Sanctuary, so that I may 
dwell within them.” This Sanctuary must be pre- 


92 


THE JEWS. 


pared and fitted by us to receive tliat holy spirit 
which is to dwell there, and which is to be our safe¬ 
guard and protection against the commission of sin. 
This is then the “ perpetual lamp which we are en¬ 
joined to burn continually for an everlasting statute.’ 7 

On the words, “ the lamp of the Lord is the soul 
of man,” our sages have in the Med rash made the fol¬ 
lowing remarks : 

“ The Lord has said, Let my candle be in thy hand, 
and thy candle in my hand. And what is the candle of 
the Lord? the law; for it is said 4 the commandment 
is a lamp and the law is light,’ and why is the law 
compared to a light ? because whenever a man fulfils 
a commandment, it is as if he lit a candle before the 
Lord, whilst he sustains his own spirit, for it is said 
1 the soul of man is the lamp of the Lord.’ ” 

This allegory requires but little comment. The 
all-illumining and ever-shining laws of God can¬ 
not be represented by anything purer and more 
universally beneficial than light, which is the soul 
and essence of our life. Nor can the spirit of man, 
which is invisible, but nevertheless pre-eminent to the 
body, and guides and sustains it, be more aptly sym¬ 
bolized than by light. As in a candle the matter 
feeds the spiritual light (which is comprehensible), so 
does the body, consisting of matter, feed the soul, 
which is all spirit. There is yet another beautiful 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


93 


simile in the Medrash of the light and law of God in 
the following words : 

“ Why is the law a light ? Because many times 
when a man contemplates doing a charitable act or a 
good deed which would cost him money, the evil 
spirit within him says: ‘ Why shouldst thou do this 
and diminish thy property ? Instead of giving it to 
others, give it to thy children.’ Whilst the good 
spirit says: ‘ Give in the cause of charity and benevo¬ 
lence, for the commandment is a lamp which will al¬ 
ways burn, even if you light from it thousands and 
thousands of other lights.’ So the man who gives 
from his purse to a charitable cause, does not thereby 
diminish his property.” 

Like the lamp, therefore, from which hundreds and 
thousands of others may be lighted and its brilliancy 
remain the same, so is the law from which millions 
upon millions may be enlightened to eternity, and its 
flame not be lessened thereby. The truth of this il¬ 
lustration is borne out by every-day experience. 

The second verse of our text, in referring to this 
perpetual lamp, orders that Aaron and his sons should 
“ arrange it from the evening until the morning be¬ 
fore-the Lord,” and it was to be “ an everlasting stat¬ 
ute,” It was never to go out, but to be constantly 
arranged, that it might always be burning brightly, 
and shed its hallowed light within the Tabernacle. 


94 


THE JEWS. 


So, my dear friends, must our little lamp be carefully 
watched, and daily trimmed, that its light may not 
be extinguished. Whilst its sacred flame burns with¬ 
in us, it will light us in the right path, and keep us 
from much harm; but when we neglect it, and allow 
darkness to take its place even for a single hour, aye, 
a single moment, it is then that temptation assails us, 
and leads us to the commission of sin. In the words 
of our text, it must be “ arranged from the evening 
until the morning for an everlasting statute.” 

This life, my friends, may aptly be considered our 
evening, during which we must prepare and arrange 
our lamp for that morning life hereafter, when those 
who have carefully tended it will enjoy that bright 
and glorious morning light, bliss eternal, and unal¬ 
loyed. Let us then bear in mind the injunction of 
our Rabbins who have said, “ Prepare thyself in the 
antechamber, in order that thou mayest enter the 
palace;” and then, brethren, rest assured that al¬ 
though the lamp of the evening may appear dull and 
cheerless, it will revive and shine brighter in the 
morning, never to be extinguished. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


95 


THE SPIRIT AND INTENTION OF SACRI¬ 
FICES. 

Extract from a sermon delivered at Montreal, 
March 23d, 1878, by the Rev. E. M. Myers. 

The portion of the Pentateuch read to day, and, 
indeed, the greater part of the Book of Leviticus, 
treats especially of the offerings and sacrifices made 
during the existence of the Temple; whilst in the ab¬ 
sence of regular Divine services and stated prayers, 
such as we have at the present day, they may have 
been suited to that particular time, it would be utterly 
impossible to fulfil them in the present age, and they 
would be highly repulsive to enlightenment and rea¬ 
son. It may be asked then, why, with the Divine 
knowledge of their future impracticability, were such 
commands given, and incorporated in the Penta¬ 
teuch as standing statutes. The answer to me is 
perfectly plain. Israel had but lately been delivered 
from a condition of the most abject slavery. They 
were ignorant, debased, and superstitious, and it was 
necessary to give them such forms of worship as were 
adapted to the times and their surroundings. But 
He who gave these commands, and whose perfec- 


96 


THE JEWS. 


tion penetrates all time, whilst He was fully aware 
that they would only be temporarily observed, was 
also aware that with the growth of time, with the de¬ 
velopment of learning, knowledge, reason, and enlight¬ 
enment, that when they ceased to be practically fulfill¬ 
ed to the letter, they were capable of being more beau¬ 
tifully carried into effect, in meaning and in spirit. 
He has, therefore, reserved it for true and faithful 
teachers, for intelligent and reflective minds, to sym¬ 
bolize and give vitality to what would otherwise be 
but a dead letter. Like many other traditions, they 
need to be looked at beyond the surface, and require 
interpretation in a different sense to their literal 
expression. “ The law of the Lord is perfect/’ and 
thus, whilst it is impossible in many instances to ful¬ 
fil some of the commands contained therein in their 
direct terms, it is nevertheless possible to spiritualize 
them, and make them typical of much moral force 
and meaning, both within the spirit of their intention, 
and suited to present requirements. I therefore in¬ 
vite your attention^ for a few minutes, whilst I en¬ 
deavor to illustrate a few verses which have been re¬ 
cited to-day. 

The portion read this morning treats largely on 
“ thank and peace offerings,” and it will be readily 
admitted, that they are of the kind most acceptable 
to the Deity. The sin and trespass offerings, whilst 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


97 


they may be brought with a certain amount of the 
spirit of penitence, might still be regarded as partly 
selfish, inasmuch as they are intended to procure par¬ 
don and forgiveness for wrongs committed. Not so, 
however, the peace-offering. It was originally intend¬ 
ed to be the medium of peace, to remove all ill-will or 
any unkind spirit, and to produce harmony and a 
blissful state of tranquillity. That peace-offering, my 
hearers, was never more required than in the present 
age. If we look around, and see the daily turmoil 
and strife which exists in many communities, the 
petty quarrelling and more determined opposition, 
• which is exercised apparently in the professed inter¬ 
ests of religion, we can easily see how much the peace¬ 
offering is required. And it is capable of being made 
by all, even at the present day. Not the sacrifice of 
an ox, or a goat, or a turtle dove, but the sacrifice of 
some of our individual views and wishes, for the in¬ 
terest and benefit of tlie_ community in general; and 
the sacrifice of our greediness for wealth, and other 
numerous passions and desires, which we allow to 
stand in the way of serving our Maker with sincerity. 
It is this kind of sacrifice, my friends, whieh God re¬ 
quires at our hands. 

He has repeatedly, through the mouth of His pro¬ 
phets, declared the inutility of outward sacrifice, un¬ 
less accompanied by that of the heart. “ What to 

5 


98 


THE JEWS. 


me are your many sacrifices,” saitli the Lord, “ rend 
your hearts, not your garments ”—and many other 
passages of Scripture might be quoted to exemplify 
that the sacrifice required by God is that of the heart, 
and not as literally expressed. On this subject it is 
said in the “ Zohar,” referring to the verses, “ The 
sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit,” that “ if the 
sacrifice was not accompanied by a contrite spirit, it 
was null and void, and might be cast to the dogs.” 
Therefore, when the idea was misapprehended, when 
the essence degenerated to a mere form, when a mul¬ 
titude of sacrifices were offered without the inner 
man, the Lord said, through His prophet Jeremiah,* 
“ I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them 
concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices ; such burn¬ 
ing and meat offerings, I have never commanded; I 
never intended them.” The offering which is meant, 
is that, where the outward sacrifice and the inward 
intention go hand in hand together. Having alluded 
to the peace-offering, I will observe, that it is one, 
the object of which is highly acceptable to the Su¬ 
preme and in accordance with His heavenly attri¬ 
butes ; for we find frequently embodied in our ser¬ 
vices, the expression, “ He maketh peace in His high 
Heavens ”—upon which the “ Medrash ” thus com¬ 
ments. “ How great is the necessity for peace ! If in 
thecelestial regions,where there is no jealousy, no strife 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


99 


no envy, no anger, no malice, and no war, yet, one is 
required to make peace; how much more necessary, 
then, is it on earth where the human passions and 
vices exist.” 

The next verses to which I claim your attention 
are as follows : “ And the fire on the altar shall burn 
constantly—it must never be put out; and the priest 
shall burn wood on it every morning. A fire shall 
be always burning on the altar; it shall never be 
extinguished.” In these days, this command cannot 
practically be fulfilled in its literal sense, and we 
again bring to our aid intelligence and symbolism to 
understand its meaning, and to enable us to carry it 
out in spirit in our present circumstances. Although 
at the present day we have no actual altar, no real 
fire, and no anointed priest, to carry this command 
into effect in the words of the text, still we possess 
them in a spiritual sense, and are able in a higher de¬ 
gree to observe this command, in a manner fully as 
acceptable to the Supreme, and I do not hesitate to 
say even more so, than by the sacrificial offerings of 
the olden times. 

Figuratively then, or I might truly say, in reality, 
our body is the altar, our soul or conscience is the 
fire and ourselves the ministering priests to cleanse 
the altar and tend the fire continually, that it may 
burn constantly, and never be allowed to die out. 


100 


THE JEWS. 


The fire of religion, of genuine and true religion, not 
only the mere hypocritical observance of outward 
forms, which are only the husks of the corn; but the 
religion of the heart, of the mind, and the soul; a 
religion, pure and beautiful, which carries with it 
all the tenderest emotions of the mind, which teaches 
universal love and charity toward our fellow-beings, 
which prompts those acts of mercy and kindness 
which our blessed creed and faith so continually and 
so forcibly enjoin upon us, which admonishes us con¬ 
stantly to review our actions and to keep in check 
the passions and vices to which we frail mortals are 
subject; this is “ the perpetual fire/’ which should 
burn within us, and which, in the spirit of the text, 
we are charged to arrange day by day, that it may 
burn continually and never be allowed to die out. 

For, my friends, whilst it may easily be revived so 
long as the least fire remains, it is not easily re¬ 
kindled, if once extinguished. It therefore needs our 
constant attention, and we must not allow our ardor 
nor zeal to become dampened, or we shall find it diffi¬ 
cult to re-light the dead embers. As the priest had 
to attend it daily, so in like manner must we arrange 
it day by day, that it may burn continually, a bright 
and brilliant flame—not a flickering, dying spark. 
It must be a flame of pure religious feeling, one which 
will give us an earnest faith; an undying confidence, 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


101 


and a confiding hope. It must not be a wavering, 
inconstant impulse, which burns brightly and animates 
us on particular occasions of joy, or depresses and de¬ 
jects us in special times of sorrow, but it must be a 
steady, steadfast, and uniform spark, which on all 
occasions, and in every circumstance, will light us in 
the path of virtue and rectitude, and cause us to ful¬ 
fil the behest of Scripture, “ Be thou constant with 
the Lord thy God.” * 

Many are the instances where we find the flame 
dull, and where it needs a good raking, and fresh 
fuel to revive it. How many in the days of prosper¬ 
ity neglect attending to it, and would allow it en¬ 
tirely to die out, unless visited by some sorrow or 
calamity, when they suddenly stir it up, and for a 
time it burns fiercely, but wanes again so soon as 
their trouble is over. Their religion comes to them 
in fits and starts. They become suddenly imbued 
with a religious fervor, but the attack is only tem¬ 
porary. Therefore, the text enjoins it should be per¬ 
petual or constant fire. And who were to tend the 
fire and bring the offerings ? The priests, pure and 
holy; and they were not permitted to do so with 
any impurity resting upon them. 

We, therefore, the representative priests who are 
to tend the perpetual flame which is to burn within 


* Deut. xviii. 13. 


102 


THE JEWS. 


us, must be careful that in doing so, and whilst bring¬ 
ing the typical sacrifice, to be pure and clean from 
all sin and wrong-doing, otherwise, the offering be¬ 
comes an abomination in the sight of the Lord. Our 
prayers and petitions must be attended with fervency 
and devotion, or they become a hollow mockery. 
Our vows of penitence, and our regrets, must be ac¬ 
companied with a sincere intention of amendment, or 
they are unholy offerings in the hands of an impure 
priest, offensive and unacceptable in the eyes of the 
Supreme. Happily, we need not the intervention of 
a priest in our behalf; we do not require a mediator 
between our God and ourselves. We are all in pos¬ 
session of the fire and the altar, and we must care¬ 
fully tend it. Our holy religion teaches us that every 
one must work out his own salvition; each one must 
be his own priest, and bring his own offering and his 
own sacrifice, as declared by the Eternal atthereve 
lation at Sinai, “And ye shall be unto Me a kingdom 
• of priests.”* This great privilege—this beautiful 
feature of our religion, should ever be present to us; 
that however sinful we may have been, whatever 
wrong we may have committed, the fire and the altar 
is always ready, and we have the individual privi¬ 
lege of being the priest to bring the offering and the 
sacrifice of the heart, which is to procure for us the 


* Ex. xix. 6. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


108 


grace and mercy of our Heavenly Father, who per¬ 
mits us to approach Him with the burden of our sins, 
and without any other mediation than a contrite 
spirit, and an earnest faith. 

Passing to the second portion of the lesson for to¬ 
day, we read of the sacrifice of the red heifer, and 
this is one of those commands which are termed 
“ Statutes,” and for which human understanding has 
not yet been able to assign a reason. A strange anom¬ 
aly in connection with it is, that whilst in itself it 
was to be an offering of purification, he who gathered 
its ashes, was thereby rendered unclean. The rabbis 
have said, referring to this ordinance, “ Who can 
bring a clean thing from an impure one ? Is it not 
one? ” Job infers therefrom, that it is only in the 
power of the Unity, to produce good from evil, and 
the commentators of the “ Medrash ” thus illustrate 
it. Abraham, who proclaimed the Divine Unity, was 
the son of Terah, the great idolator. From Ahaz, 
who followed every abomination, and caused his son 
to pass through the fire, came Hezekiah, who did that 
which was right in the sight of the Lord. From the 
wicked Ammon, who served and worshiped idols, 
arose Josiah, who walked in the way of righteousness, 
and “turned not aside to the right nor-the left.”* 
From Shimei, who cursed David, the anointed of 


* II. Kings, xxii. 2. 


104 


THE JEWS. 


the Lord, came the pious Mordecai, who saved his 
nation from destruction; and from the idolatrous 
nations of the earth, arose Israel, to whom God 
revealed Himself in His glory, and to whom He 
vouchsafed the great and glorious charge of promul¬ 
gating His law and His Unity to the whole world. 

We should not, therefore, be skeptical of things 
because they are not apparent to our imperfect 
understanding, but should remember, that sometimes 
most momentous meanings are hidden by a veil, 
through which our limited perception cannot pene¬ 
trate. In these days of doubt and instability, when 
the custom prevails for each one “ to do that which 
seemeth right in his own eyes,” it would be well to 
ponder and reflect, and to be guided by competent 
and faithful shepherds, by men of pure and honest 
principles, God-fearing and reliable leaders. 

Almighty and Eternal God! Although since the 
destruction of the Temple the sacrifices have ceased, 
and the sacerdotal offices cannot be fulfilled to the 
letter, yet the spirit of Thy wise statutes, established 
for our welfare, remain intact, and are as everlasting 
as the source from which they sprang. Bestow on 
us, 0 Lord, wisdom to understand, and intelligence 
to comprehend Thy precepts and commandments. 
Cause the light of Thy countenance to shine upon us, 
so that with the aid of faithful and earnest teachers, 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


105 


we may be enabled to interpret the true meaning of 
Thy sacred precepts, and enjoy the fruits of wisdom 
and understanding with which Thou hast graciously 
endowed mankind. May it be Thy will, 0 God, that 
the perpetual fire shall continually burn within us 
for the performance of deeds of virtue and piety, and 
may we always be worthy priests to tend it. Amen. 


Extract from an address at a Marriage Ceremony, 
by the Rev. E. M. Myers. 

You must not suppose that this engagement is of 
a merely worldly character. From this hour, new 
obligations, of a moral, social, and religious nature 
devolve upon you, which it will become your duty 
faithfully to discharge. The ceremony of to-day 
may perhaps appear to you unmeaning and unimpor¬ 
tant, as religious ceremonies are sometimes considered 
by those who do not understand them, but let me 
assure you, that all our religious observances are in¬ 
tended to convey typical and salutary lessons for our 
consideration. 

The canopy under which you stand, may remind you 
of the canopy of heaven, the undefinable dwelling of 
Him, by whom all your actions are noted. The ring 
with which you are wedded is plain and unadorned, 
because marriage must not be founded on riches nor 



106 


THE JEWS. 


grandeur, but on simplicity and contentment, and as 
it has neither beginning nor end, so may there be no 
breach in your union. 

The two cups of wine from which you partake, 
may illustrate the sweet and bitter cups of life to 
which all are subject, and that we must submissively 
partake both of the joys and pains of our earthly 
career. The glass broken by the bridegroom re¬ 
minds us that even in the midst of prosperity our 
hopes may be shattered, and implies our trust, that 
as the fragments of it cannot be rejoined, so may you 
never be parted in this world, nor in life hereafter. 


EXTRACTS FROM DAILY MORNING 
PRAYERS. 


(1.) My God! The soul which Thou hast given me 
is pure; Thou hast created, formed, and breathed it 
into me; and wilt hereafter take it from me, to re¬ 
store it unto me in futurity. During the time that 
my soul continues within me, I will render thanks to 
Thee, 0 Lord my God ! sovereign of all creation, 
Lord of all souls. Blessed be Thou, 0 Eternal, who 
giveth life hereafter. 

(2.) With abundant love hast Thou loved us, 0 Lord 
our God! and with great and extraordinary mercy 




CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 107 

hast Thou had compassion over us. 0 our Father 
and our King! for the sake of our ancestors who 
trusted in Thee, and whom Thou didst teach the 
statutes of life, be thus also gracious unto us, and 
teach us. 0 our Father ! merciful Father ! who art 
compassionate; be benevolent unto us, and implant 
into our hearts a tendency to obey and perform all 
the precepts of Thy law with love. Unite our hearts 
in love and reverence of Thy holy name, in which we 
have ever trusted. Amen. 


EXTRACT FROM EVENING SERVICE. 


With everlasting love hast Thou loved the house 
of Israel, # Thy people, and hast graciously taught us 
Thy laws and commandments. Therefore, 0 Lord 
our God ! we will continue to meditate therein, and 
will rejoice everlastingly in the words of Thy law, 
which imparts life and length of days. Do not, we 
beseech Thee, ever withdraw Thy love from us. 


EXTRACTS FROM SABBATH SERVICE. 


(1.) The soul of every being shall bless Thy name, 
0 Lord our God ! and the spirit of all flesh shall for- 






108 


THE JEWS. 


ever bless, extol, and glorify Thy holy name. Thou 
art God everlasting, and besides Thee, we have none 
other. We find it impossible, 0 Lord our God, to 
render unto Thee due thanks, even for one of the 
very many thousand benefits which Thou hast con¬ 
ferred upon our ancestors and upon us; and as Thy 
kindness and tender mercies have always been with 
us, so we beseech Thee, never to abandon us. There¬ 
fore, the soul and spirit which Thou hast breathed 
into us, shall bless, glorify, aggrandize, and sanctify 
Thy holy name, Thou incomparable, mighty, and 
Most High God, as David said, “ Bless the Lord, 0 
my soul! and all that is within me bless His holy 
name.”* 

(2.) To the blessed God, all shall offer harmonious 
strains; to the Eternal King, all shall chant hymns 
and render praise, for He alone is Lord of all pro¬ 
ductions, and it is He who daily renews the work of 
creation, causing His luminaries to shine in their ef¬ 
fulgent splendor. 0 Lord! cause a new light to 
shine on Zion, and gather us in peace from the four 
corners of the earth: lead us erect unto our land,t 
and may we be soon worthy to behold its magnifi¬ 
cence. Blessed be Thou, 0 Eternal! creator of light. 

(3.) Let our rest be pleasing, 0 Lord our God, in 


* Psalm ciii. 1, 


t Alluding to Levit. xxvi. 13. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


109 


Thy sight. Sanctify us with Thy commandments, 
satisfy us from Thy goodness, gladden us with Thy 
salvation, and purify our hearts to serve Thee in 
truth, so that we may inherit Thy holy Sabbath with 
love and delight, and peacefully repose thereon, hal¬ 
lowing Thy name. 


ON THE SABBATH PRECEDING THE 
NEW MOON. 


(4.) May it be Thy pleasure, 0 Lord our God ! to 
renew unto us in the coming month Thy beneficence 
and blessing. 0 grant us a goodly life, one of health, 
peace, blessing, and maintenance; a life fraught'with 
the fear of heaven, and the dread of sin; a life with¬ 
out shame or disgrace, a life, in which the wishes of 
our heart may through Thee be fulfilled for our good. 
Amen. 


ON THE DAY OF ATONEMENT. 


(1.) 0 our God! and the God of our ancestors, 
may our prayers and petitions come near unto Thee, 
and hide not Thyself from our supplications; for we 
are neither so bold nor obdurate as to deny our 
wrong-doing, for alas, verily, we have sinned. 






110 


THE JEWS. 


(2.) Thou didst extend Thy hand toward trans¬ 
gressors, yea, Thy right hand is ever stretched out to 
receive the penitent. Thou, 0 Lord God! hast 
taught us to make confession in Thy presence of all 
our iniquities, that we may restrain our hands from 
sin, and come before Thee with perfect penitence. 
In Thy great love and and abundant mercy, Thou 
hast appointed for us this day of fasting and atone¬ 
ment, one of pardon and forgiveness, that we may 
turn penitently to Thee with a pure and upright 
heart. Deign, therefore, in Thine abundant mercy 
to accept our penitence, for “ Thou delightest not in 
the destruction of the wicked, but in his return from 
his evil way that he may live.” 

0 my God ! I am but dust during my life, much 
more so at my decease. Behold me before Thee, full 
of shame and confusion. May it be Thy gracious 
will that I sin no more, and to obliterate the sins 
which I have already committed; not by severe chas¬ 
tisement nor in anger, but by the means of Thine 
abundant mercy. 


CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 


Ill 


HYMN,* 

Universal Lord ! who the sceptre swayed, 

Ere creation’s first wond’rous form was framed: 
When by His will divine, all things were made, 

Then—King ! Almighty ! was His name proclaimed. 
When all shall cease, and this world’s system o’er; 

Tremendously He then alone will reign: 

Who was, who is, and who will evermore, 

In glory most refulgent still remain. 

Sole God ! unequalled and beyond compare, 

Without division or associate; 

Without commencing date or final year, 

Omnipotent He reigns in awful state. 

He is my God, my living redeemer, 

My sheltering rock, in misfortune’s hour, 

My standard, my refuge, and protector; 

My lot’s disposer, when I seek His power. 

Into His hands my spirit I consign, 

Whilst wrapt in sleep that I again awake; 

And with my spirit, my body I resign; 

The Lord with me, no fears my soul can shake. 


* This Hymn has been translated and paraphrased by the late Dr. Van Oven. 


112 


THE JEWS. 


SHORT BLESSINGS FOR VARIOUS OCCA¬ 
SIONS. 


Each of the following is prefaced with the words, 

“ Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord our God, King of the 
universe.” 

On Drinking Wine. 

Creator of the fruit of the vine. 

On Eating Fruit of the Tree. 

Creator of the fruit of the tree. 

On Eating Fruit of the Ground. 

Creator of the fruit of the ground. 

On any Anniversary. 

Who has sustained us alive, and mercifully per¬ 
mitted us to celebrate this occasion. 

On Hearing Thunder. 

Whose power and might fill the universe. 

On Seeing Lightning. 

Who has formed the works of creation. 

On Seeing a Rainbow. 

Who is mindful of and faithful to His covenant, 
and firm in His promise. 


Finis. 






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